


A Garden of Winter

by psychotriton



Category: One Piece
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Mentions of Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 22:59:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 34,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3746752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotriton/pseuds/psychotriton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luffy, the enigmatic and troublesome slave boy from Bateriella grips Duke Trafalgar Law's attention when he saves his life. As a sign of gratitude, Law takes Luffy with him to Flevance, offering him a chance to restart his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for opbigbang 2014-2015! Special thanks to my awesome partner, 0blue-bird0 (tumblr account) for making four beautiful pieces of artwork for this story, and also special thanks to my amazing beta, everLastingTime (ff account)! Thanks for bearing with me, it was my pleasure to work with you guys!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

* * *

 

The sky is drab and the clouds are about to cry, the unmistakable before-rain scent mingles with the putridity of greasy smoke – it creates something much heavier and a more indefinable smell, like desperation, or the suffocating presence of death that always lingers on the battlefield. It isn't a nice scenery, the ashes and ruins, the ground soaked with spilled blood.

It wasn't necessary, all the destruction, Bateriella could have just laid their armor down, but they chose going down fighting. It's nice to be gifted with bravery, but maybe the gift of survival instinct and common sense would have come in handier in their situation, he thinks.

Truth be told though, were Flevance in Bateriella's situation, he would have done the same. He would have to say that Flevance and Bateriella are very similar in this aspect, both are willing to do anything to bring down the reign of the Celestials, the only difference lies in luck – or more like in location.

Bateriella is located in the Southern peninsula of the continent, with easy access to the central with it being sweeping plain land, while Flevance is high up in the Northern region, surrounded by giant mountains and covered in snow for the majority of the year, making it near impossible to approach for those who aren't used to the rough climate of the North.

After years of war, negotiations began, and the fruit serving as a contract between the monster of an empire and the North Kingdom, stating that while they can keep their flag and rule the country as they wish, they must pay taxes and are obligated to back up the Celestials in times of need. When the uprisings in the East has spread to the South and climaxed in Bateriella, Flevance, being the under the authority of Trafalgar Law, had the honor to do so – note the oozing sarcasm here – and briefly, that's the story of how a Northern Duke happens to be far down South.

It's been nearly three weeks since the battle of North and South began, the constant back-ups consisting of untrained peasants the city has gotten from various other cities located Southern from there have drawn out the war far too long to his liking. He would rather be at home right now. They have managed to catch the rebels off-guard with a well-conceived raid the previous night. There was no way for the enemy to believe that Bateriella could still win, he's sure of that.

He stops as he watches the gathered slaves being led in small groups, almost like dogs on leashes, different expressions displaying on their faces. There is a whole spectrum of emotions ranging from defeated resignation to determined defiance, eyes blinded by tears or fierce glares or stares into nowhere. Postures vary between graceful and proud, some backs stooping under the weights of their lives gone wrong. There's a woman crying for her children, her face contorted with misery, a limping old man biting at the roots of his beard as his teeth slide down his bottom lip.

He decides to go back to the camp and finally get some well-deserved rest, when shouting catches his attention. His eyes narrow, curious as to what the fuss is about, yet a spark of irritation is already forming inside of him. People gathering always means trouble, of which usually he is to take care of.

Following the sound of voices he finds a small pother in front of a surprisingly sound-looking bar, swords already being unsheathed, loud profanities mixing with hissing and scandalized yelling. He uses his commanding tone - the one he had made sure to be feared among his men - to create a path for himself, only the ones standing close to him hear him though as his voice is deafened by a particularly loud curse.

''What's going on here?'' the crowd starts to part for him, words die in throats, angry expressions shift into ones of uneasiness. More and more people begin to notice him and he finally gets a chance to move closer.

In the pregnant silence, the familiar, disgusting sound of snapping bones sounds disturbingly loud and the following cry of agony is downright earsplitting. He finds a man of his own on the ground, with a teen sitting on him, his figure dwarfing next to the bulky man he is currently holding down, his small and grimy fingers tightly attached to a neck he could barely span.

He looks at Law then, his dark eyes wild like a trapped animal, driven purely by instinct and willing to do anything to survive. Dangerous. He glares at Law, and growls, never letting go of his prey, the unfortunate victim struggling the whole time.

''If you know what's good for you, you'll let him go and don't make me drag you off myself''

His death grip around the purple faced man doesn't loosen, his eyes trained on Law's face, neither of them looking away. The defiant look he gets has Law thinking that the boy won't obey, but after a moment or so the kid tentatively releases the now passed out man, without even bothering to check the damage he has made.

Law's lips automatically curve into a smug smirk while the teen frowns at him, otherwise Law can't read his expression. The kid slowly begins to stand up, rubble imprinted on his bare legs, dirt covering the deep abrasions on his skin, and while Law has seen wounds hell of a lot nastier than that, he still almost grimaces when he thinks about the infection that is sure to come.

''Good." he says simply, signaling with a motion of his hand that he can be taken. Two soldiers grab the boy, one by each arm, and Law notices how sickly thin he seems. The cuffs click together around his wrists, and the kid bares his teeth at that, revealing a partly healed wound on his inner lip that opens from stretching the skin. Law is tempted to follow the trail of blood with his tongue, from the small chin up to those chapped lips.

Bewildered by his own thoughts, he takes a better look at him. His clothes are dark and torn, his greasy black hair sticks to his round face, his lean body is covered in cuts and his tan skin discolored from bruises and dirt. Even so, despite his rugged look, somehow he still manages to look attractive, at least in Law's opinion.

As the kid is escorted by four men – edified by the previous accident -, most likely towards his death, something tells Law that he should do something about it, to spare his life, but he shakes it off. He would have choked that man to death had it not been for Law to interrupt, and the people who fought side-by-side with him are more important than some kid that he would take for a spin.

* * *

Even after fighting throughout the previous night, and spending the following day searching for survivors, the desire to sleep doesn't seem to come for them. The night found the soldiers drinking, dancing and laughing, and in generally having a good time, and even Law lets his guard now – and that was the mistake that nearly cost him his life.

Law honestly thought that on the day he meets his demise, he wouldn't be scared. That when death's scythe would hover over him, he would straighten his back and offer his neck for a clean cut. Instead of a scythe though, he only sees a sword, of a smaller caliber than his own, yet still splendid and mighty and so threatening as no sword has ever been.

He should not be surprised, he knows that; fool as he was with walking into a trap so easily, he shouldn't have expected anything else. He also knows that acting smart _after_ a mishap is easy, but he still wants to slam his head against something, asking himself how he could not have noticed, even as there probably hadn't been any way to figure it out with such a small amount of contact with his attacker.

What's probably worse though, is that he _had_ noticed that something is off, a few minutes into the beginning of his flimsy assassination. It had been suspicious how the young man wearing their uniform was keeping one hand behind his back while offering Law a new mug of beer, and while it rang the alarm bells in him and made the hair on his neck stand on end in warning, he decided to ignore it and allowed the sweet alcohol to put his mind to rest and lull him into bliss.

The darkness covered up the destruction, the death, the blood around them, the night hid any evidence of the raging war. The flow of victory and the taste of triumph made them cocky and reckless, the mental exhaustion demanding celebration, and they were drawn right into it like moths to the fire.

They deserved their fun, they thought. The uprising in the South has been treaded out, the contact between Flevance and The World Government was as good as extended, and with that accomplishment, he could relax just for once, he thought.

When he snaps out of his drunken stupor is when it was already too late, only when he catches a glimpse of the flame of the campfire reflecting on the blade of a raised sword when his brain registers the danger and senses the radiating bloodlust. Out of instinct, he reaches for his sword, only to grip air, and he curses, his drunken mind shutting down instead of reeling to find a way to escape.

Everything sounds and seems distant – how the elated laughter and shouting dies down or how the exultant dancing stopped -, his frantically beating heart deafens the noises and his eyes are moving too fast to actually make out his surroundings. He forces himself to focus his eyes on his attacker, and everything is slow, too slow, movements taking forever, the sword swung at him, the blade shiny like the stars and thin like paper, a young face distorted by bloodlust and hatred, a shit-eating grin appearing in anticipation, shoulders shaking with a silent, excited chuckle, next to him a stray spark from the fire falling to the ground.

Law wonders if his head would simply fall to the ground like that, as morbid as it is, it makes him just a little pleased that it would be more spectacular than that.

There's a heavy push from his right side, he's shoved out of the way and with that things are kicking back into motion. The impact with the ground too fast to comprehend, the weight on him apparent and a pained moan but he can't decide whom it belongs to.

The world blacks out, and it takes him a moment to feel the sharp pain in his head, and another for the pain to morph into aching numbness, slowly spreading throughout his body. His vision comes back, but he can only make out blurry images between dots dancing in his sight, cold sweat runs down his back and everything around him spins and gets darker and darker until the darkness finally consumes him.

* * *

When he wakes up dizziness hits him hard, and he quickly decides that being hit on the head with a hammer after a whole night of drinking would probably be a lot more pleasant than the steadily pounding pain tearing his head from the inside that he's feeling now. Blurry memories of almost being killed just after they had won a battle are rushing back into his head, not helping his situation at all.

Truth be told, he doesn't really understand exactly what had happened, details constantly escaping him, but he has enough of a terrible headache as it is, and he is certain that the last thing he needs right now is to think too much and make it worse – if it could get worse than that anyway.

Still, it bothers him; what could have happened before he lost consciousness. He remembers getting drunk and almost having his head roll by his feet, but somehow, at the very last moment the strike had missed its target. He must have fallen, he thinks, feeling kind of embarrassed. He never thought that drunken stumbling could save his ass, but he isn't complaining. If anything he's grateful.

Even if it's embarrassing, dying from such a flimsy assassination attempt would have been a lot worse – it would have surely given the next generations a good laugh. Briefly, he also wonders that just why he hadn't been poisoned, since he had already been drunk, putting some nice fatal poison into his drink would have been much easier, and less eye-catching. The attacker could have even escaped afterwards, walking out the door, completely unnoticed and unsuspected.

He frowns at that. While he – you could say that – likes his men, he also knows that they have the dependency level of a toddler, and sadly, the parenting role is his to play. Take the parent out of the picture and chaos ensures, but they could not have been in that much of a panic that they had let his almost-murderer run, could they? He shakes his head a little, wincing as another wave of pain washes over him.

No use getting all worked up without knowing what had actually happened.

Getting up is to be left for later; a tentative step of an unsuccessful attempt to stand up is all it takes for him to decide that, although Law has to admit that he wasn't trying all that much. He feels exhausted and lazy, and even reaching for the bottle of water on his nightstand seems like an impossibly hard task to do, but hard work always pays off, he thinks after the first divine sip.

He has already earned his peaceful rest before the assassination, and he is going to take it now, so he stays lying here, his arm over his eyes to block out the bright light – even with the time being before dawn, and the tent being dimly lit, it still seems painfully bright-, and dozes off.

He's quick to wake up upon hearing footsteps approaching the tent, and after yesterday's incident, he can't help being even more cautious than ever, because apparently, it hadn't been enough before. He lets out a small sigh of relief when Jean Bart enters the tent.

He is a servant of his, a former slave. Over the years they've grown to like each other, almost like friends, and though decorum demands formalities to be strictly followed in public, sometimes they leave them when it's just the two of them.

While saving Jean Bart had been a temporary falter of him when he first served in war and had taken pity to the enslaved, he can't say that he regrets it as he had gained a trustworthy, honorable follower.

''How are you feeling?''

''Like shit'' he answers honestly, sitting up. ''What happened anyway?''

The bulky man hesitates before he answers, thinking his words over, probably trying to sugarcoat things to not insult Law too much. He knows that Law wouldn't be keen on getting the evidence of his carelessness thrown into his face – like how easily he got himself drunk. ''At the very last moment, this slave boy pushed you out of the way. "He says finally.

''Who?'' Law asks, disbelieving. Without waiting for an answer, he continues ''What was a slave doing there anyway? I may not remember anything, but last time I checked we didn't mingle with slaves'' he says bluntly, before he realizes that he likely shouldn't be telling this to Jean Bart of all people. From the corner of his eye, he looks at Jean Bart to see if he's insulted, but his naturally grim face gives nothing away and Law doesn't know what to think of that. ''And what happened to the assassin?''

''The man was stopped by a soldier, but unfortunately, the wound he got was fatal. He died of blood loss before we could have investigated him. And as for the slave boy, apparently it was the kid that caused the ruckus – you know, the one that broke a soldier's hand, who you helped getting arrested afterwards –, he managed to knock out the assigned guards and escape his chains.'' he states matter-of-factly. ''As to how, I have no idea. I'm not the privy here, you should ask him''

His tone sounds cold at that, and maybe a pinch of hostility is there too, for understandable reasons. Law doesn't blame him for that, but there's still a ghost of hurt pride.

No one from a lower rank is allowed to talk with Law like that.

''Get me Shachi'' he commands, and the bulky man obeys, not missing a beat, most likely sensing the change in Law's tone.

After Jean Bart takes his leave and goes find Shachi, one look all it takes for him to force himself up to get himself cleaned. He's full of _filth_.

He uses the little leftover water and a washcloth to get rid of the dirt and dried up blood. He grimaces, knowing all too well that it could never compare to a real bath, but it's better than nothing. He uses cologne to cover up any possible odor, and he should manage with the slight sticky feeling on his skin for a few more days, even if that sounds like an eternity right now.

He's in the middle of putting his golden earrings into his ear, thinking about the kid he met few days ago, who had apparently saved his life, when he sees the reflection Sachi entering with Jean Bart behind him in the mirror.

''Shachi.'' he doesn't turn around immediately to greet his old friend, only after he got in the last piece of jewelry.

Red haired, of average height, all smiles and jokes – Shachi doesn't look like the type of guy who would be involved in slave trades, even though that is exactly what he does for a living. His friend looks like a child about to confess something that would surely lead to punishment – guilt is written on his face, and if that wasn't noticeable enough, then his body language screams it out.

''Hey…''

It's quiet after that, and Law just stares at Shachi unnervingly even by his own standards, maybe enjoying a little seeing him squirm in place. Shachi opens his mouth to speak, but before any words can come out, a sharp cry cuts through the air, followed by profuse swearing, colorful phrases along the lines of 'damn savages and their whore mothers' echo through the awkward silence, and Shachi ducks his head. This only makes Law more suspicious.

''Well?" he asks, fighting down the urge to impatiently tap his legs against the ground, while Jean just quietly observes their interaction.

''What's up?''

''That shit's for the birds and you know that as well as I do '' he says, glaring half-heartedly.

Shachi gulps before he answers, seemingly at a loss for where to start, or what to say. ''Remember the kid from two days ago?''

Nodding, he looks at the red haired man, carefully keeping a straight face. ''What of him?''

''I just thought.. He was your type, wasn't he? And, you can always kill him later if he wasn't, right? So I just… offered some money to the executioner, and he was with me but he just…disappeared and I didn't even know that he was missing until he turned up last night -''

Once again he's interrupted, by another cry that ends in a pained moan and turns into a fit of coughing. This time, Law strides across and peeks out of the tent, preparing to yell at whoever was causing trouble again.

His eyes widens at the sight of the very kid they were talking about. He's covered in bandages and looks just a little cleaner than he was the other day, the chains around his wrists clanking as he pulls at them, trying to break free despite the heavy fetters holding him down by his ankles. A malicious chuckle comes from the guard, who is clearly getting some sick entertainment from his struggling.

When the teen tugs too hard, and the only thing keeping him on the ground is the man on the other side of the chain, the man lets go of it, allowing him to fall into the mud. Even in this humiliating position, with drops of mire covering his face, he still manages to throw him a surprisingly threatening glare.

He looks like he is about to launch himself at his guffawing tormentor, but before things could deteriorate further, Law finds himself interfering.

''Enough.'' when he catches both parties' attention, he directs his glare at the guard. ''You're dismissed. Leave.'' The man is about to protest, but Law beats him to it ''Now.''

He watches the man scurrying off after a quick bow and 'your grace', before he looks back at the kid. He's back on his feet again, now all filthy, even dirtier than the first time he had seen him, the white bandages on his arm tainted with brown and red, probably from an opened wound.

He doesn't remember seeing a wound there when they first met, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't there* – he didn't look close enough to claim that -, but what matters is to get that treated.

''Shachi. Get him cleaned up, after that I'll treat him.'' he turns to Jean Bart after that. '' Bring some lukewarm water and tell Penguin to bring breakfast for two.''

* * *

The boy looks lost in his tent, looking around awkwardly, probably not really caring about his surroundings, but only to keep himself occupied and to soothe his anxiety. ''Sit.'' Law orders, though he didn't intend to, and the kid's face hardens for a second, before he swallows his pride and complies.

One look is all it takes for Law to decide that he isn't the only one in desperate need of a proper bath, and Law finds a little comfort in that thought, even if he's only talking about a peasant boy who has just kissed the ground moments ago.

He tells Shachi to help the kid with cleaning the area around the wound while he gets to work. He takes his bag, which carries a few medical instruments, that could always come in handy, and places the fresh bandages, gauze pads, scissors, the jar of honey and the jar of dried yarrow powder on the table.

While it isn't necessary, with him always putting his things away neatly -knowing that it would be a pain in the ass to clean it once it's dried-, he still rinses the mortar with water just to make sure it is as sterile as it can be.

He puts the dried yarrow into a mortar along with honey and pours water over it before starting to mash it with a pestle. After the green mass looks just right, just the perfect way of mushy, and he's done with making the poultice, he begins to put away his things, stopping to gauge if the amount of yarrow left is going to be enough to last until they reach the nearest neutral town - he doubts that they would be attended at any shop in the Southern regions, just after the annihilation of Bateriella.

He's just finished with putting his things away when Shachi tells him that he cleaned the area around the wound. He waves at his friend, signaling that he is free to go, and the red haired man leaves with a poorly disguised smile on his face.

Law washes his hands before he walks over, and inspects the wound, loosely fixing the rolled up sleeve of the torn shirt before it could slide down, reaching the wound and getting it dirty again. ''This is yarrow poultice, it speeds up the healing process and prevents further infections.'' he explains, more to break the uncomfortable silence than anything.

He takes some of the green mash on his forefinger and middle finger and smears it on the wound, even putting some on the skin around it. He takes a bigger gauze pad and positions it over the injured area before applying it to the wound, slightly pressing down to make it stick there. Even though Law is as gentle as possible (for him), the boy still winces a little, suppressing a pained hiss.

''What's your name, kid?'' Law asks. Dark eyes dart to Law's face instantly, something akin to worry reflecting in them. Law narrows his eyes, noticing the sudden change of behavior, however subtle it was. It's gone as soon as it came though, before Law could figure out what it meant, but it is definitely strange – overall, the kid has yet to show fear towards him, but the mention of his name made him squirm instantly.

''Luffy.'' Aloof, Law thinks, but he supposes that learning his full name wouldn't change anything; it would only matter if he was a noble, which clearly isn't the case. It might be for the better not to use the name that links him to his destroyed homeland anyway. ''And yours?''

''Trafalgar Law.'' he says without any title or formality, keeping it simple. He doesn't think it would make much difference to Luffy if he knew about his rank.

He wraps a bandage three times around the injured area before taking the scissors and cutting it to the right size, finishing it with a bow to keep it in place. He notices that there's some poultice left and as well as untended abrasions on the boy's knees.

''You should wash your knees too'' he notes, his pride not allowing him to kneel down and clean someone's leg. Treating it is tolerable but he won't bent down under any circumstances.

''You're helping me.'' Luffy states, and Law's about to give a cynic reply when he continues. ''But not the others. Why is that?''

''I'm not ungrateful. You saved my life yesterday; I owe you this much.''

Law's healer instinct screams bloody murder as he watches the slave clumsily wipe off the thick layer of filth, and Law has a hard time fighting down the urge to tear the cloth out of his hands and do it himself before he causes even more damage.

His head suddenly shoots up to look at him. '' It was you-ouch!'' he hisses, having accidentally pressed the cloth down too hard. The crust comes off, and Law rolls his eyes, his instinct winning over his pride to save the idiot from himself.

He moves to crouch in front of Luffy, and frowns at the sight of a beginning festering.

_Guess I'll have to keep my eyes on it, eh?_

''You didn't know it was me?'' he asks again, looking up at Luffy. The boy shakes his head.

''I don't think I would have saved you if I did.'' he admits, his thoughts probably somewhere else because Law can tell the exact moment the boy realizes what he has just said out loud, but he doesn't apologize or makes excuses, just stares at him almost challengingly, daring Law to comment on it.

Law just smirks, not being one to take things personally. He has the galls and Law likes that. ''How'd you even spring up there?''

''I was escaping'' he says, biting his bottom lip to hide his cheeky smile. He's clearly provoking me now, Law thinks, but he isn't sure if it's intentional or not. He decides to ignore it though, focusing his attention on the wounds he's tending to at the moment.

Without Law keeping the conversation flowing, mildly awkward silence drapes over them. Law stands up when he's done, just in time as Penguin comes in, carrying a gigantic tray. He puts it down on the table, Law nods his thanks, and he leaves with regard to Law's guest.

He turns to Luffy again to invite him to join, but finds him already focusing his attention on the food. His dark eyes flicker to plates, the movement of his Adam's apple indicates a gulp and he takes a not-so-discrete sniff. Law finds it amusing, in some way.

''Dig in.'' he says, earning a shocked, wide-eyed look. ''Aren't you hungry?'' he asks after a few moments, and that seems to do the trick because Luffy immediately jumps at the food.

Of course Law has been aware that Luffy was hungry – slaves admittedly don't get too much food – but he never would have thought that he'd eat the proportion of two people in one sitting, plus the bread from Law's meal. He's glad that Penguin has a tendency to bring more food than he asks for; otherwise it wouldn't have been enough. It would have been shameful if he couldn't feed a guest properly.

Law notices that while munching on the last remains of the bread, Luffy absently stares at the entrance.

''You're free to go'' he says, though he isn't keen on the idea. He wants the boy for himself, and wants him to go with him on his own, not by force. He's feisty too; keeping Luffy like that would mean constantly fearing escape attempts unless Law breaks his will, and that isn't something he wants. He's way more interesting to be around the way he is.

''I'm free?''

''You are a free man'' he agrees.

''So I can leave for good?''

''You're free to go'' he repeats, and adds ''If you have somewhere to go, that is.''

Luffy narrows his eyes at him, and he takes that as a clue to continue. ''You could come with me to Flevance.''

''To Flevinc?''

''Flevance'' Law corrects, but nods anyway. ''As a sign of my gratitude, you'd be given citizenry and a chance to restart your life.''

'' No, I-''

''Think about it'' Law cuts in ''Tabula rasa. You don't have much left there, do you?''

Luffy shakes his head, features hardening for a moment, before he relaxes. ''I'll think about it.''

''We're setting out for North tomorrow morning, after dawn, with or without you, the decision is yours to make.''

* * *

Tomorrow morning comes fast with nice, sunny weather that puts the Northern summers to shame. He can barely believe that Novembers are like this in Bateriella; his homeland, Flevance must already be covered in snow this time of the year - it's called the White City for a reason.

There's no trace of Luffy yet, and Law grows nervous, but he hasn't given up on hope just yet. His anxiety mixes with mild frustration, not knowing why the kid has such a big effect on him. He shouldn't even care whether he lives or die, let alone be concerned for his future, like what could happen to him if he starts off to the big world completely alone.

He could probably take care of himself as far as it comes to self-defense, given how easily he has broken through the guards when being hold back by shackles, but from what Law had seen, the first more serious wound on him would be infected and eventually lead to death.

The last box of supplies is put into a covered wagon, and Law sighs, feeling a little down and maybe a little bit disappointed – but what for, he doesn't understand. Luffy has not made any promises and Law shouldn't even be surprised that he refused to live on a land whose soldiers have destroyed his homeland.

He gives the order to get on the horses or get into the carriages for nobles, and his breath gets struck in his throat as he turns around and sees Luffy alongside Shachi. The boy clearly looks like he's searching for something or someone, and Law would like to think that he is that certain someone.

He hurries over there, and Shachi exclaims with a smile. ''There are you!''

He absently nods as a greeting, his eyes trained on the beaming Luffy, giving him an open glance-over. He's wearing chausses tucked into turnshoes, a simple outfit but it hides his bruises and bandages effectively.

His hair is free of grease and dirt now, looking soft and inviting to run his fingers through it, his skin turns out to be shades lighter without all the filth, but it is still a lot tanner than any Northerner's complexion. It's nothing Law's used to, but he can't say he doesn't like it.

Law finds him more and more attractive with every passing moment. ''Your answer is?''

Law is sure it is impossible to grin even wider than he is already, but Luffy proves him wrong. ''I'll go with you.''

* * *

Half a day later Law has already regretted not only inviting Luffy to sit with him or coming to Bateriella, but also all of his life choices that led him to this point. The teen proves to be terribly irritating company, after the initial joy of Luffy coming to Bateriella has worn out. First he has been eager to talk to him, and get to know him and such, but it has quickly turned into mild annoyance after experiencing a bit of his personality.

Asking Luffy to be silent has turned out to be a bad idea, because the kid just seems to be unable to stay silent - if by any chance he stops babbling, then he will just make some obnoxious noise like tapping his foot or humming songs that don't make any sense, and Law would rather have him spurting his nonsense than listening to his false tones.

He wouldn't even have a problem with Luffy talking to him, if the kid would be capable of talking about sensible topics and not just telling him dumb, vulgar jokes.

Come to think of it, it may be for the best for him to be so oblivious to the world; Law has been around cunning politicians enough to prefer Luffy's ignorance over them. He's naïve and innocent and simple – everything that he normally treats as inferior – but it just gives him a childish charm that can even bring a smile to Law's perpetually frown-pulled lips, beyond any feeling of irritation.

Not having to keep his guard up all the time and relax feels nice for a change, and that thought makes bearing with the eccentric teen much easier, even as he's singing a song, about compass point and idiots, that should be sung by children.

* * *

Luffy is really a child at soul, Law thinks, attempting to give a rational explanation – that isn't 'because he's a fucking idiot' - to why on earth would someone older than 10 voluntarily jump into a puddle. His chausses rolled up to his knees, his legs ankle-deep in mud and Luffy is oblivious as ever, merrily humming a song different from the one he used to hum all day.

Law is actually tempted to ask him to sing it out aloud, because it sounds familiar, but he can't grasp where he had heard it. He's way too irritated for that though, as not only they are held back by the goddamned mud and are progressing slower than they would on feet, but the brat is actually enjoying it.

His eyes flicker to the discarded pair of shoes, and Law mumbles, mostly to himself. ''Tell me, why would you do that again?''

''What're you mumbling about, Torao? '' Luffy asks, tilting his head while Law's right eye twitches at his new nickname. The first time he has heard it he has almost fallen out of the carriage. He knows he shouldn't be that surprised, his name is admittedly hard to get right without it being spelled out first and he can't really expect anything else from a most likely illiterate peasant boy, but he still finds it degrading.

''Nothing'' he replies, looking up at the sky. It's clear; there isn't a trace of clouds, contrarily to the driving rain the previous day. Weather seems to change fast here, it must be really irritating.

''What? You're talking to yourself? You're weird!'' Luffy says, snapping Law out of his thoughts. He immediately feels irritation bubbling inside him again.

''You shouldn't be one to talk while standing in the middle of mud'' he snorts.

''It's just dirt, it won't eat you or anything, geez'' Luffy huffs, and then continues. ''Besides, I needed to stretch; that thing is awfully uncomfortable!" he complains.

Law actually feels insulted, 'that thing' is the most comfortable carriage in whole Flevance, albeit it wasn't made for long journals. Still, it is the best and Luffy can't just disregard it like that.

Maybe the comment on the carriage has something to do with the fact that Law doesn't immediately let Luffy in after the teen gets bored with imitating a pig.

''You aren't coming in here with your legs like that'' he says, horrified at the thought of the filthy appendages touching the seats. He ignores the pout and the puppy eyes and makes Luffy sit at the door, with his legs hanging out of the carriage, exposed to the air. '' You can sit after the mud dries and you can rub it off.''

Luffy spent the whole day with attitudinizing sulking after that – until dinner comes, of course, as Law manages to solve everything with a chunk of meat. He really likes Luffy's simple-mindedness at times like these, but it confuses him is why he cares so much.

* * *

Law's aware that he was presumably expected to make an appearance in Mariejois – the capital- and that sending a herald with the report would most likely piss of the government dogs, but even if he ignores the fact that he truly doesn't give a fuck about them, he still honestly lacks the patience to deal with them at the moment.

He's got enough trouble on him which he brought upon himself like the ignorant fool he was when he invited Luffy to join him.

''It's cold. Why is it so cold? I'm freeeeeezing. Are you cold too, Torao?'' Luffy asks, hugging himself.

Law grumbles a 'no' under his breath, his eyebrow twitches along with his fingers, his muscles itching to break the brat's neck. He's been dealing with this for the whole day, ever since they reached the base of the mountain, but fortunately, Luffy has taken a 3 hours nap and Law has treasured every moment of it. Sadly he's wide awake now and Law actually wonders exactly why he doesn't just murder him then and there; who would judge him? Who would care if the boy went missing?

'' You must be cold! How do these people live here?! And when are we going to arrive? ''

Law looks up at the carriage's ceiling, takes a deep breath and counts to three mentally. And after that to ten as the three wasn't near enough to calm him down. Their destination is ten times colder than this, and Law is really tempted to rub it in the kid's face, but he knows that it will only bring forth more complains and annoying whines. Now, Law deems himself a patient man but his patience has limits too.

''Are we there yet?''

''No.''

''And now? Are we there?''

He sends one of his most murderous glares at the direction of the teen, but the kid either doesn't notice or doesn't give a flying fuck about it. Law isn't sure which one of these options is more annoying.

''You'll know when we got there.'' he manages to grit out.

''So we're there now?''

''No.'' Law hisses, restraining himself from shutting the kid up for so long causes him physical pain. How fucking annoying can someone be!?

Law thanks the God for the silence after that, which lasts for approximately two minutes.

''I'm boreeeeed.'' Luffy whines again, falling backwards against his seat, and Law groans. '' And I'm still cooooold~''

''God fucking damn it!'' Law swears as he stands up abruptly. ''Get your ass over here! ''

Perplexed, Luffy blinks at him and sits up as he was told, not fazed by the possibility that Law literally wants to kick him out of the moving carriage. Law shrugs his warm fur coat down and roughly shoves it on him.

''And if you don't shut the fuck up now, I swear to whatever god you believe in, that I'll strip you, tie you up and have you dragged behind the fucking carriage. Got it?''

''Yeah…'' Luffy mutters back, and Law would be damned if he hasn't just caught a glimpse of a cheeky grin on his face.

Once again silence settles over them, only the slight creaking of the wheels and the tramping of the horses are heard. He barely manages to fight down a smug smirk; it seems like his threat wasn't in vain.

''Ne, Torao…''

Damn him and his big mouth.

''What is it?!'' he asks, maybe more irritated than he should be.

''Won't you be cold without it?'' Luffy asks quietly, sounding uncharacteristically uncertain about something– such a short amount of time was enough for Law to learn that Luffy is the kind of person who is the most confident and the loudest, but also the dumbest, babbling anything that comes to his mind without the slightest thinking.

''I grew up in lands a lot colder than this, trust me, I'll be fine.'' He can't say the same about Luffy, though. He's wearing two coats to be comfortable while Law isn't wearing any, and they still have a long way to go until they reach Flevance, and it's only going to get colder from now on. Not to mention that they're inching towards winter – Northern winters are hard to bear even for those who were born there.

''Okay….''

Law presses his back into the cushions, throws his head back and closes his eyes. His relaxed posture allows his fatigue to weigh down on him, his muscles are sore, his eyes sting. He'll just rest them for a few minutes. That's all. Just a few minutes.

''Torao''

He doesn't find it in himself to be mad anymore. He's just too tired. Luffy can spit his stupid nonsense and he doesn't care. ''Hmm…?''

''Thanks…''

His head jerks up at that, his amber eyes open instantly. An unknown feeling spreads through his chest as he stares at Luffy, who sits with his knees pressed against his chest, Law's coat draped over his curled up form like a blanket.

He looks different like this, tiny and vulnerable; and the sudden wave of protectiveness catches Law off guard. While he knows that the teen is just deceiving him – he's seen that he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself- , maybe deliberately, maybe not, he finds himself involuntarily pulled in by his charms. He just nods, his lips curling into a small, gentle smile.

* * *

With Luffy snoring the day away next to him, travelling feels – Law dares to say - boring. He just stares out of the window, chin leaning on his palm, watching the rough but familiar scenery of the mountains surrounding Flevance. Snowflakes feather down from the gray sky; something he finds strange to be absent – usually, this area is already covered in thick snow by the end of October.

Although he'd often curse away that white visitation of god when he gets caught in a storm, but it feels warm and welcoming after being away for two months. It feels like home. It is home, he reminds himself, suddenly feeling a wave of ridiculous anticipation.

He looks back to the unconscious Luffy then, who is sleeping under a warm blanket with his legs brought up to his chest, wondering if he should wake him up; the teen has, after all, been immensely excited at the prospect of snow. As absurd as it sounds, apparently he had never seen snow before.

He reaches out to brush a stray hair out of his face and wake him up gently, but he doesn't budge. He remembers that Luffy isn't a light sleeper like himself; you could demolish the roof from right above him and even that wouldn't wake him up.

Law caresses Luffy's cheek, and Luffy lets out a noise of discomfort at the intrusion of his personaö space, furrowing his browns. ''Cold'' he mumbles, fidgeting to find a more comfortable position for sleeping.

Not going to happen, Law thinks, pressing his apparently cold fingers to Luffy's neck. The teen jumps at that, almost falling down from the seat, and Law grins.

''What'z…'' Luffy yawns, looking around in slight confusion until he spots Law ''… you're a meanie..'' he says incoherently, voice heavy with sleep, rubbing his eyes lazily.

'' We're almost in Flevance .''

Luffy's eyes widen, as he darts to the window, tripping two times; first when the blanket tangles around his legs, then again on Law's legs. He nearly tears down the curtains in his frantic rush, and he presses his face flush against the window, gasping at the sight of snow. ''It looks so fluffy! Like a cloud!'' he exclaims, visibly mesmerized by the pure white snow that covers the surrounding trees.

Law blinks as Luffy fiddles with the door, and grabs Luffy's waist just in time before he could jump out of the carriage. ''What the hell do you think you are doing?''

''Torao! Let me go! I want to touch it! " he complains, struggling to get out of Law's strong hold.

''You can touch it as much as you want later'' he promises, and the pout forming on Luffy's lips tells Law that while he isn't keen on waiting, he'll listen for once. He guides the teen back to their seat with his hand on the small of Luffy's back. '' Besides, I can guarantee that you'll see plenty of it - enough to bore you, even.'' he adds once they're seated, his hands still on his back, almost pulling him into a one armed hug.

Luffy leans into him further, resting his head on Law's shoulder, who in return curls his arm around his waist. It's really, really nice to watch the snowing like that, even Law admits that, and knowing that he won't get any peace once the ride is over – he has no doubts that his boy would discover the many ways one could use snow for when it comes to get on people's nerve – he's determined to make the most of it and just bask in Luffy's wondrously calming presence.

The first thing Luffy does when the carriage arrives at the castle isn't looking around, no, it's jumping in the snow. Law just fondly shakes his head, way too smitten with the teen's antics to care or be really surprised. Luffy thinks the snow is really cool – Law grimaces at his although unintentional but still terrible pun -, and fluffy but too cold.

He doesn't really get what Luffy could have possibly expected, if it was warm or something, but he just shrugs it off, not mulling over on that for long. Thinking about Luffy does him no good, it would only bring him a headache – and he speaks from experience here.

He drags Luffy inside with the promise of a feast, he guesses he can be considered lucky that food can hold Luffy's attention – in fact, he has the feeling that food is the only thing that can make Luffy sit and stay in one place, as much as it is possible with him – otherwise the boy would have been probably tormenting him with snow right now.

He has to admit that maybe Luffy has a point with the food this time; although his noble heritage has granted him food of higher quality than common soldiers back when he still has been living on the flavorless camp-food, and a decent meal sounds like a gift straight from the heavens right now.

He takes a moment to admire the carefully prepared meat on his plate, before he cuts it up and begins eating. He spares a glance at Luffy, wondering how he would react to the Northern gastronomy, with it being completely different in taste than the one he's used to.

He's quick to realize that he shouldn't be worried for Luffy when it comes to food. The teen has his face stuffed with everything within his reach, an expression of absolute delight on his face and expressions of shock on those present faces.

He has probably never gotten anything like this before, Law wonders, vowing to himself that he will be the one to spoil Luffy with the best goods available in Flevance, but he isn't about to let him know that. He looks on, disgusted and with a hint of horror as the teen stuffs a whole leg of turkey into his mouth, completely sure that he'll have to be the one to save him from choking, but he just pulls the bone out thoroughly cleaned.

''Don't be such a pig.'' Law quips after he regains his voice and lets out a barely audible sigh of relief, deciding that Luffy will start his table-manner lessons as soon as he finds a teacher, for the sake of his own good. Luffy just stares at him like he hasn't even heard his comment, obviously confused at what Law is referring to. '' The food won't go anywhere, you can slow down.''

''Okay'' Luffy replies, and goes right back to wolfing down the food like his life depended on it. Law just groans and resumes eating. What has he gotten himself into?

* * *

A bath is needed, just for the sake of his human dignity, Law decides for the umpteenth time that day, and it's needed now, not by the time the servants would fill the tub – it would take hours to do so. Luffy doesn't agree with him, but it won't stop him. He's leading the teen towards a private hotspring, just next to the castle, but Luffy doesn't know that, and Law isn't about to tell him.

The little knowledge that he gained of Luffy includes that Luffy hates baths, and while it might not be the best idea to force him into a bath on the first day, the boy he reeks, no, they both reek and are itchy from the dirt that won't come off without a proper and thoroughly cleaning. If the odor already bothers him, with smelling the same as Luffy, were Law the only one to take a bath, things would get awkward pretty soon.

Law has been told that he has an obsession with cleanliness, bathing multiple times a week, but it's still better than the other way around.

Luffy is weird, he had easily come to that conclusion, but in this aspect it's remarkable. He's aware that in other countries commoners rarely have the privilege to take baths, but its rarity should just make it all the more appalling, in the same way as it is with gems.

There, in the North if people aren't freezing to death, then that is counted as a success, but while people aren't granted the luxury to be very hot and to perspire, they still have countless hot springs and even the lowest of the low has the chance to bath. It's a requirement to smell good, or at least to not smell at all.

In Bateriella the weather is humid and hot, even in late November, and it's inevitable for people to sweat a lot but clean water is expensive - which is a crime itself, if you ask Law, to make something so essential to survive scarcely affordable-, and the rivers are barely going to make someone cleaner.

The point is, getting the chance to have a nice, warm bath in the freezing cold should count as good, even in the warped mind of Luffy.

As it turns out, apparently Luffy doesn't think that he should bath at all. He has been fascinated with the idea of a "half-indoor lake with hot water", but he has only wanted to admire it from afar, without it involving him getting wet or basically any kind of contact with the water.

He seriously doesn't get what's the matter with Luffy and his blatant dislike towards water, but the look in his dark eyes has showed an unnatural wariness and that has stopped Law from asking. He has considered letting the boy slip, but then he has caught a whiff and well, he's made up his mind.

Now he only has to carry out his plan, and that's easier said than done.

''I don't wanna go there!'' Luffy stomps, pointing at the direction of the steaming water.

''But you will'' Law replies, slowly losing his patience. His last resort is to tear off the teen's clothes and push him in there, but he would rather refrain from doing so. It presumably wouldn't leave a nice impression of him.

''I won't!''

''Well, you won't sleep in any of the beds while being so filthy either''

After a childish back and forth of an argument, at last Luffy caved in to Law. He should mark this day on the calendar or something, Law thinks, seeing that this is the first time that he has actually won an argument against Luffy. Their banters usually end with a compromise or with Luffy getting his way.

They both get rid of their clothes, neither of them self-conscious or shy about their bodies. He feels Luffy's eyes on him, and it's most likely because of the ink on his upper body and arms. Tattoos mostly practiced in the Eastern regions and are really unusual to come across at the rest of the continent.

He has yet to meet a fellow tattooed man here – though he hides his too, not because he regretted them, but because they attract too much attention. He doesn't particularly like being stared at.

He doesn't mind getting attention from Luffy, though.

Law wonders if he should wait for Luffy to go ahead, fearing that he might flee once Law's in the water. He shrugs it off in the end and walks into the water, letting out a content sigh as the warm liquid engulfs his body the deeper he goes. It's nice and relaxing, and he can't help closing his eyes and leaning against a rock. He still listens to Luffy though, if he's coming or not.

After a while of silence, he cracks one eye open and finds his boy sitting in the shallow part of the water, the water barely reaching his waist. He's pouting and absently kicking the water, looking absolutely adorable and eatable.

''Why aren't you coming in?'' Law asks, walking back.

Luffy puffs his cheeks. ''I can't swim''

''And you think I'd let you drown here?'' he retorts when he's in front of Luffy, leaning down and sporting a flirty smirk. ''Besides, the water will only reach your shoulders, and you can hold onto the side.'' he adds, taking Luffy's hand.

''If you say so…''

He ends up taking Luffy to the out-door part of the hotspring, the combination of the hot water and feathering snow successfully sweeping him off his feet, and Law likes to think that his hand circled around his small waist had a part in it.

* * *

Law is really happy to spend the night in a warm, comfortable bed, finally clean and free of dirt, even though he has to endure Luffy's bitching about "wasting too much time on bathing and not showing him 'Flevinc' ". He has intended to do so, he really has, but the feathering snow has grown into a raging storm by the time he could have dragged Luffy with him to the city.

He is in good mood so he lets the small fact slip that Luffy has been the one who has spent the most time playing around - once he has grown used to the water-, as he discovered that hair can be frozen if it's wet and exposed to low temperatures. He may have felt a little ridiculous as Luffy has wetted his hair and tousled it, but Law thinks it was worth it in the end, even if he kind of felt like an idiot.

It doesn't really matter with Luffy anyway, and it isn't like anyone else has seen him.

It might have been for the best for the time being not to let Luffy near the snow, until his initial eagerness dies down at least– Shachi and Penguin told Luffy about snowballs and other possibilities to torture innocent, unsuspecting people- and the boy was more than eager to try it.

Law would probably be one of those unfortunate victims.

Not that having an over-excited teen jumping at you while you're sleeping doesn't count as tormenting, but still. He won't even get into how he even sneaked around the guards – Luffy isn't exactly stealthy, and Law thinks that it's worth to be repeated.

Luffy is not stealthy. He's the impossibly clumsy kid that would trip over his own feet and drag three more men twice his own size with him, all that in a volume that could probably reawaken the dead – the point of this, that he is unable to be silent, and the last time Law checked his guards are neither deaf nor stupid, so they should have stopped him as nobody is allowed to enter his chambers without his permission.

He has thought that being back to in the world of politics and the dull daily routines would be more appealing than the battlefield, as it always has been – though he has never been away for such a long time. Up until now, the longest period of time he has spent in war has been two weeks, including the travelling, and he has never had any problem with falling back into his old routine.

Two months though, is a long period of time, and while he has had plenty of time to rest since the siege of Bateriella has ended, in his opinion travelling and doing nothing useful is more draining than any physical activity.

He blinks slowly, blurrily seeing Luffy's pouting face. It's a nice view to start the day with, he thinks, momentarily forgetting the unpleasant method Luffy uses to wake him up, until his sore ribs remind him. He's too tired to even wince at the feeling.

''C'mon, you're no fun! Don't be lazy!''

Law yawns, his eyes tearing up from it. ''Why are you here?'' he asks, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the sleep circling his mind. He hears Luffy voice, but doesn't understand what he is saying.

''Oi! Wake up! You promised!'' Luffy yells, irritation evident in his tone.

Law forces his lids open again, his mind too foggy to get what the brat wants so early in the morning. ''What'd I promise?'' he asks, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms.

The weight from his torso disappears as Luffy climbs off of him, presumably to jump on Law once again. ''That you'll show me Flevinc!'' Luffy says, adding more weight to his words with a dramatic stomp.

''Flevance'' he corrects automatically for the umpteenth time, and Luffy just waves at him as always, indicating that it doesn't matter.

''And yeah, I promised and I will, but I got some work to do before I do that'' he says, and Luffy frowns. ''Why don't you explore the mansion while I'm at it?'' Law appeases when Luffy's expression remains in a frown instead of a resigned pout. ''There's a nice tavern named Baratie, I'll take you there – they have some of the best food in here. What do you say?''

''Alright!'' Luffy cries, visibly brightening. He jumps off the bed, muttering to himself, already drooling at the prospect of food.

He's so disgusting, Law thinks with ridiculous fondness, and lets out a relieved sigh as it has been his last resort – he doesn't know what he would have done if bribing with food hadn't worked. He also wonders why the hell he is so keen on granting the brat everything that comes out of his mouth.

He obviously likes Luffy, he wouldn't even have taken him here in the first place if he hadn't, but even how far people go while courting should have its limits.

They have a lazy breakfast together – on Law's part at least; he eats slowly like civilized people do, and Luffy, unlike him, wolfs the food down at a pace that was more like exercising than eating; were it any normal person, a nap would be required after each a meal.

The reports of Flavance's happenings seem more boring than usual with Luffy and their upcoming date on his mind, after every 5 minutes or so he finds himself staring out of the window, looking at the snow kind of dreamily, wishing that he would be out there. He wouldn't even mind whatever that hell spawn plans on doing to him, however embarrassing it may be.


	2. Chapter 2

The weather is cold, but nice. It's already dark, though the sky is clear, the full moon glistens on the glowing snow, almost making it seem as if it were daylight, only the midnight blue sky peeks out from behind the white blanket of clouds and gives away how late it is. A few street lights are hanged up, in an attempt to improve the visibility, but that only works on the darkest of summer nights, when the snow isn't already bathing the world in the reflected moon light.

He's in a good mood – even with his fingers freezing from the cold-, pleasantly surprised that thus far there hasn't been any assault on him from Luffy's part. Everything is going well, the time they spend together is exclusive, in Law's opinion, the whole thing certainly feels like a successful date; however he isn't sure if he and Luffy are on the same page.

The kid could be completely obvious to the things Law is doing and Law wouldn't even be all that surprised – that would just be Luffy for him.

Said boy is uncharacteristically quiet now, content with just trotting next to Law, eyes wandering around, probably taking in the sight. The city is pretty, at least this part of it is – mostly lower ranked nobles and wealthier commoners live there-, but it's a miracle that even Luffy is able to just silently admire it. He shouldn't be so surprised about that, after all, he shouldn't assume that Luffy won't enjoy something calm like this. Besides, it's his first time seeing the scenery of a beautiful winter night.

The teen stops in his tracks, and when Luffy doesn't follow him after a few steps, Law turns back.

''What's-'' he begins, but gets interrupted by a snowball thrown at his face. He hasn't gotten to experience anything like this since he was a kid, and the years have nearly erased how unpleasant the feeling is.

_That little-_

Luffy then laughs while Law wipes the now melting snow off of his face, and he sends a glare in Luffy's direction, which the boy ignores. Law scowls and walks over, considering returning the favor, but a better idea comes to his mind.

He grabs Luffy's legs and pulls them towards himself, making the teen fall into a heap of snow. He grins, realizing but not caring that he's getting dragged into the younger's pace. Even he's allowed to have fun sometimes…

What he doesn't expect is to be joining Luffy there, as that sneaky little shit pulls him down too. Before he knows it, Luffy shoves a fistful of snow into his clothes, and shit is that cold, he's still grinning though, generally having a good time. Luffy tries doing that again, and Law reacts fast, taking each of his wrists into his hands, having none of his antics, effectively pinning him down.

''No fair'' Luffy complains, white puffs of air leaving his thin yet very, very inviting lips. They're really close, dangerously so, Law can even feel the warmth of Luffy's breath on his face.

His eyes wander from his mouth to his eyes instead, feeling a hint of arousal at the sight of a pink blush on his round face. This doesn't help his situation at all. He looks back to the subject of his desire, then to the attentive eyes that are fixed on Law's lips. He takes that as a sign of approval.

He leans down and closes the remaining distance between them. It's a sweet, gentle kiss that evolves into a tentative dance of their tongues, shyly telling a story about their mutual attraction to one another. He has already released Luffy's wrists at some point, and Luffy uses his now free hands to slide his fingers through Law's hair, knocking his hat off in the process.

He feels warm and content as they pull apart, relaxed and surprisingly calm. Luffy wears a look of wonder on his face, his dark eyes soft and clouded. Law caresses Luffy's cheeks gently, lovingly and all the while smiling like an idiot, because that's all he seems to be capable nowadays with Luffy around.

''I liked that'' Luffy says, voice quiet and hoarse, even though it hasn't been that long since he has last been using it.

''Me too'' he answers, enjoying the small fingers massaging his scalp.

He offers Luffy a hand to help him up when he has had enough of laying in the snow -the mood had already been gone at that point- and doesn't let go of it even after the teen is securely on his feet, but Luffy doesn't seem to mind, if anything, he holds onto it tightly, fingers pushing until they're intertwined with Law's. His right hand isn't cold at all for the rest of the night, and he simply keeps his left in his pocket.

* * *

Luffy wakes up to the sudden wave of cold as his source of warmth leaves him, and he doesn't like it one bit. Experiencing how awesome is it to cuddle with someone under a warm blanket while the temperature is freezing cold was totally the best thing that had happened to Luffy, and the fact that it's Law that he has been cuddling with only makes it better.

He's always liked physical contact, has always been adamant on sharing a bed with his brothers but even he begrudgingly admits that it has been uncomfortable. That doesn't change the fact though that Law was right where he's supposed to be, and nothing could be _that_ important to have him get up right now.

''Torao'' he mumbles, not sitting up, only turning his head in his direction. ''Where are you going?'' he asks, noticing that the older male is putting on clothes more splendid than he's used to.

''Good morning'' Law smiles, and climbs onto the bed to pecks him on the lips. ''I'm going to Rubeck for a few days.''

''Why?'' he asks, pouting as he circles his arm around Law's torso to keep him there.

Law sighs. ''I've got an important conference to attend to – I've already mentioned that.''

''Oh'' Luffy says, suddenly remembering. ''So you were going to go without saying a word?'' he asks, appalled at the idea.

''I was going to wake you up to say goodbye, but I figured I'd let you sleep until I'm ready'' Law answers, caressing Luffy's cheek. He does that all the time and Luffy really likes that.

''I wouldn't say goodbye anyway'' he says, wrinkling his nose to get his point across before relaxing into the touch of Law's calloused hands.

''Oh? Why is that?''

''Goodbye means we won't see each other again, and you're coming back soon, right?'' he asks, the dread of losing yet another person rising from the pit of his gut. He's already lost Ace, if the rumors about him being taken are true, and Sabo has gone missing soon after that too.

''Of course'' Law assures him quickly, rubbing their noses together, as if sensing his growing anxiety. Luffy closes his eyes and kisses him lightly.

Law climbs off of him when they break apart and puts on a pair of warm-looking boots and more layers of clothes. It's such a bother to dress up so warmly, moving properly is impossible under all that restricting fabric – the two layers of clothes he has been forced to wear all the time in Goa have been bad enough for Luffy.

''I'm going now'' Law says, interrupting his train of thought before they could wander into dangerous waters. It's no use thinking about things that are over. He waves at Law and pulls the covers further over his body to make a nice cocoon.

'' Where's my kiss?'' Law asks kind of indignantly.

Luffy just blows him one, having fun teasing him a little. That, and he doesn't really want to get up. ''I would see you off but it's nicer in here.''

''Geez'' Law says, pinning him to the bed for the second time that day – and it's only morning. The older man captures his lips in a deep, passionate kiss that could have turned into something more heated, if it weren't for a knock on the door.

''Yeah?'' Law asks absentmindedly, occupied with rubbing Luffy's red, saliva-coated lips with his thumb.

''Sir, the carriage is ready''

''I'll be there in a moment'' Law replies and Luffy can tell that he isn't happy about leaving. He looks Luffy in the eye then. ''Well, I'm really going now'' he murmurs, stealing another short kiss, like he couldn't get enough of them - not that Luffy minds, of course.

''I'll walk with you for a while'' Luffy offers, climbing out of bed with a duvet securely wrapped around him. He really hates doing that. ''Okay, that's it'' he exclaims at the door, his bare feet having had enough of walking on the cold tiles.

Law looks at him like he was deranged. ''Seriously?''

''Yeah'' Luffy nods, and Law sighs exasperatedly. He pulls Law in for a quick hug before he turns on his heels and marches back. ''Take care!''

'' I should be the one saying that!''

* * *

Later that day, he overhears a very intriguing conversation. He has just accidentally ended in the basement, and is trying to find his way out of the labyrinth-like walls, and can't help but hear them talking.

''You're new, aren't you?'' The man doesn't wait, just slaps the other roughly on the back, nearly making him drop the keys. ''There's only one of importance there, his name's Portgas D. Ace. Ever heard of him?''

Luffy lets out a noise of shock, then claps his hands over his mouth and ducks just in time before he could be caught eavesdropping. Could it be…? That Ace is here, could it be true? The older guard keeps looking his way, and Luffy holds his breath, thinking for a moment that he'll be kicked out before he could hear the end of the conversation. He needs to know what's up with Ace!

Fortunately the man turns back to his fellow. '' So. Portgas D. Ace'' the man continues, his posture more rigid than before.

''He's the commander of the rebels that captured Banaro. He was delivered by the government's new dog – Teach or somethin'- when he was rushing to Bateriella from the East – homesick or somethin', ya' know. They snitched him on so the Duke could stop him before he could reach Bateriella. Would have been bad if the peasants got instigated, wouldn't it?!" he laughs, obnoxiously, patting his colleague on the back again, probably trying to get him to laugh too.

Luffy suddenly has a terrible feeling in his gut and a lump in his throat. They said Duke. They aren't talking about Law, are they? He couldn't have been the one who…

''Yessir'' the younger man says, obviously uncomfortable.

Who put Ace into jail. He isn't like that. He wouldn't do that.

_He would under the right circumstances._

''One thing, though'' he begins again, tone turning to grave in the matter of seconds. He's similar to Luffy's grandfather in that matter. ''If anything happens to that one, the Duke will have your head. Got it?''

''Yessir'' he answers, and though Luffy can hear them perfectly well, his brain isn't processing the information.

''Good, I'm leaving now''

It's only when the exchanged good-nights hit his ears does he realize that he really should get the fuck out of there. He scrambles backwards, but his hands slip and his head bangs into the wall.

''Fuck'' he swears, abstract images dancing in front of his mental eye for a moment. He puts his hands on the sore spot on his forehead, feeling them getting wet.

''Who's there?!'' he hears, and he forces himself to fight down the sharp pain and make his senses work again, ignoring the tickling feeling on his forehead. He turns to run but the grip on his arms stops him from doing so. ''What are you doing there, brat?!"

He tugs and struggles, but gets roughly shoved against the wall. He continues to squirm in the bruising grip, trying to twist his body out of the hold. He only needs to reach the first floor and he'll be safe – if he runs into someone he knows he will be fine. ''Let me go!''

''What the fuck do you think you're doing there? '' the man behind him snarls, tone ferocious. ''You're eavesdropping, aren't you?''

He knows he can't lie to save his life, so he pretends not to hear it. ''Let me go already!''

He feels his hand in a way that was definitely neither natural nor healthy, he groans in pain and panics, desperately slamming his feet into the knee of the guard. His leg buckles from the impact, the man falling to the ground with a thump, and Luffy takes the opportunity to kick him in the face, knocking out a few teeth in the process.

He's trapped again by the other man that has snuck upon him while he has been occupied, and he feels the cold, hard surface of cuffs against his wrists. He tries to push himself forward and out of the way but a soft, ominous click stops him. Fuck.

The younger guard hesitates, he can feel it in the way he treats him, he doesn't want to hurt him and he sees his chance in that. Before he could do anything though, the more violent guard is up again, words unintelligent between his wheezing and panting.

''You didn't actually think you could get away with this, did you?''

He just glares, not even being able to keep that up for long, courtesy of the blood that has flown into his left eye from his close encounter with the wall. It stings.

He actually tries to think for once, doing his best to find a way out of this mess he has gotten himself into. If only he could get Penguin…

''I want to talk to Penguin'' he says, earning a laugh.

''What business would someone like you have with Penguin? What will be the next one? You're a friend of the Duke?'' the man asks, laughing at his own words like he has just told a joke or something. His sense of humor really sucks though. Luffy would have already broken his nose if he hasn't been cuffed.

He watches helplessly as the cell's door clicks shut into the lock, the sound of it slamming close echoing through the dingy room. Now what?

''Well shit…''

* * *

The temperature may be higher down here than it is outside, but the air is dank enough to make his clothes damp from sitting on the wet, rotting, wooden bench. Luffy's just absently chewing on his lips, feeling the pieces of already torn bits of skin in his mouth, his lip stinging whenever his tongue brushes against it. He has his legs pulled up against his chest and he hugs them, trying to keep himself warm.

How he wishes Law's coat was with him right now, or even better – by some miracle-, the man himself.

There's the sound of constant dripping, perpetual and out of rhythm, not really noticeable unless you're specifically searching for a source of noise to break the eerie silence. Luffy thinks it's even worse than the silence.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

'' … a hair on- … you'll hang- … the Duke…- tolerate…-''

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He squints his eyes, like that would sharpen his hearing. He's sure he just heard talking.

'' I-I apologize! I couldn't possibly have know-'' the voice is high and frantic, desperate and pleading, but it sounds vaguely familiar.

'' It's not me that you should explain yourself to.''

''But sir….''

'' You should be begging for forgiveness to Luffy'' says Penguin, his cold tone nothing like what Luffy is used to.

Penguin steps around the corner, so Luffy can finally see him. He looks livid, nearly panting, maybe a hint of fear present in him too – of what, Luffy doesn't know. The man that he has amiably kicked in the face is there too; nasty, black bruise on his chin, the torn wound on his lips still not closed, he looks terrified, sweat running down on his temples. He's pathetic.

Penguin takes the key ring and unlocks the door, letting Luffy out. He gets out as fast as he can, more than delighted to be free again, though Ace is still in the back of his mind – is he really in the same building as Luffy right now?

It would be great of course, but he can't help being a little scared of that possibility – how could he just go up and enjoy his stay until Law comes back, getting spoiled rotten from the luxury while his brother might be rotting in a wet cell? He doesn't think he's spent more in there than a few hours and he's already cold, can feel it even in his bones.

'' You okay?'' Penguin asks, leading him with a hand in between his shoulder blades.

''Yeah…'' he answers, his eyes sliding over the glistening keychain in the younger guard's pocket. It's a miracle that it hasn't fallen out yet, only one key of the three is still inside.

He should take it.

If Ace really is here, he has to get him out.

'' Luffy… you got that wound here, didn't you?'' Penguin grits out, looking at the guard like he is the worst of scum he's ever seen. The man trembles under his gaze, and Luffy thinks that if he was a dog, his tail would already be between his legs.

The younger guard isn't paying attention either, being busy with trying hard not to pee in his own pants; at least he looks like that. He seizes the opportunity and snatches the key, successfully avoiding anybody seeing him do it and quickly stuffs it into his clothes.

''Penguin'' he whines, instantly gaining his attention. ''I'm cold – let's go!''

The man glares at the guard one last time and begins to ascend the stairs, making sure that Luffy is in front of him. They reach the first floor and Penguin turns him around by his elbows so that he's facing him.

''What were you even doing down there?''

''Exploring!'' he says, as naturally as he can after discovering the disturbing possibility that Ace's in captivity here, that the brother he hasn't seen in two years is held prisoner by the man he loves. ''I got lost though and heard them talking, I wanted to get away 'cuz I think they were talking 'bout something important, but I slipped and hit my head there'' he points a finger at his forehead ''-and they heard it and the big guy just came at me and thrww me into the cell!'' he huffs.

After a few moments of silence Luffy adds. ''I kicked out his last teeth though!''

Penguin raises his eyebrows at the last part. ''Good'' he says anyway. ''But are you okay?'' he asks, eyeing his forehead. He doesn't seem to like it at all.

He nods. ''Yeah… I'm cold though.''

''You should dip in the hot spring – I'm sure Law wouldn't-'' he cuts himself off when he sees Luffy's expression changing to one of refusal. ''You don't like that?''

''Nah…''

''The bathtub then?''

''That'd be nice!''

* * *

He's warm and cozy under the blankets, fresh out of the bath, the silky sheets caressing his bare legs. He takes a pillow from his left and takes a whiff, smiling a bit. It smells like Law. He turns to his side, feeling the key chains under his right knee.

His smile instantly drops.

He takes it into his hands and fiddles with the keys, tracing his finger over each. One of them might be to Ace's cell. The cell's where Law possibly put Ace. He feels like someone is squeezing his heart at this thought, he can't breathe; the lump in his throat doesn't allow him to - it blocks his way to the precious oxygen.

What should he do?

How's he supposed to choose between Ace and Law?

His brother is supposed to be more important, but he wants Law too. The thought of losing him hurts Luffy. He just wants to gather Ace, Sabo, Law and maybe some friends and live together happily ever after.

He whines a little, curling up into a ball. Getting all worked up doesn't do him any good – first off, he has to make sure that Ace is actually here. He could have misheard something, or there could be plenty of Aces running around in the world, though a part of him is well aware that he's just in denial.

He doesn't realize that he's been trashing around for god-knows-how-long until the sheets tangle with his legs and he has made a complete mess of the bed. It doesn't even smell like Law anymore. He huffs and climbs out of the bed, pulling a pair of chausses on his legs without putting on socks first. He doesn't care though; he needs fresh air and he needs it now.

It's really cold outside, given that it's probably past midnight. The wind swirls up the dry snow, coating the landscape in silver mist, the bright moon adding to the magical view. The tales he grew up listening to tell that the North is the land of snow and sorrow, that those two come hand-in-hand, but he doesn't think they are right. He really likes snow. It's peaceful.

He could do just fine without the damn blizzards though.

The backyard is pretty too, or so he imagines it to be during summer; Law has told him once that it's full of colorful flowers and green grass then, when Mother Nature is at her peak. It's just plain white now, like she's in deep slumber now.

Bepo, the giant, fluffy, white dog paddles towards him, wagging his tail all the while. It's funny, he hasn't even noticed him as he blended into the scenery so well with his snow-like white fur. He's the kindest dog of the pack, and the biggest too – he's his favorite dog and Luffy recalls him to be Law's favorite as well.

He pats the dog on the head, doesn't even have to lean down because the dog's snout reaches his bellybutton even as he sits. Law has once said he could be easily mistaken for a polar bear, whatever a polar bear looks like.

Luffy sighs, pulling the coat tighter on himself. He has no idea what he should do now. This isn't like him at all; he has never been the brooding type, he's the 'do-it-now-think-later'-kind of guy. He hates this all. The feeling of uncertainty is killing him.

He should wait for Law to come back and ask him about the matter – surely, if he explained to him that Ace is his brother he would let Ace go, wouldn't he?

Wouldn't he?

He could just say no, Ace plays after all an important role in the rebellion. But he loves Law and would do this for him, and Law loves him as much as he does and he would do it for Luffy too.

''What should I do?'' he asks himself, though it comes off as a question addressed to Bepo. He doesn't get any verbal answer, of course.

The keys clatter inside his pocket though, tempting him; he could just go and free Ace on his own and he wouldn't have to confront Law either.

He might as well just go and do that.

* * *

In the end, he doesn't risk going now and getting caught just after Penguin has gotten him out of a cell as he ran into some patrolling guards – they were already suspicious of him, borderline hostile even. It's been two days now, and he has been running on minimal sleep since his little trip to the base of the castle. He shouldn't have gotten lost there, his brain tells him.

Yet here is he, trying his best to hold on tightly and not slip on the wet surface he's crouching on at the moment. He managed to climb up a pillar, and is now seated on the bulge between the arch and the pillar that supports it so that if someone happens to be there he would go unnoticed.

At least as long as they don't look up. If they do he can just jump at them like a vampire – that would be really cool. Vampires are cool.

He doesn't know what to do now, though. He asked Penguin about how the prison runs there, and apparently, there are two levels even in the dungeons. The less dangerous or temporary prisoners go to the first level and the others to the second.

The levels have two parts as well, where Luffy stayed was for the temporary ones, the other for the ones that committed lesser crimes such as stealing – that's the first one. On the second one part goes for the state prisoners, the other one for murderers and war criminals.

He wonders what category Ace falls under – is he a prisoner of state or a war criminal? He figures it doesn't matter; it's not like he knows which side is which anyway.

That does nothing to help solve his problems; he's still clueless about to how to carry out his plan. He has the keys and knows where to search for Ace, but the 'how' has escaped him. He can't afford to be seen, but he can't turn invisible either, nor can he blend into the background.

Or can he?

He can, but he sure as hell can't help the grin spreading across his face at his brilliant idea. As if on cue, steps echo along with low murmuring. He holds his breath and concentrates on the quiet noise, trying to make out if it's one person or more.

One.

The vampire's mission begins.

'' Fucking finally – thought I can never go to sleep''

You are about to take a nice long nap, Luffy thinks, his heartbeat quickening as he gauges the distance between him and the guard.

He has only one chance.

One more step and he can jump.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly the man takes that certain last step. Luffy can feel the sweet, familiar feeling of adrenalin pulsing in his veins as he pushes himself off the pillar.

He lands on the shoulder of the guard. The man's knees buckle under his weight and from the shock, and he falls on the tiles face-first.

''I came for your blood'' Luffy whispers, tone low, trying to make it unrecognizable. He earns a pathetic whimper in response, and wild thrashing as the man tries to turn around.

The guard is bigger than him, and it's only matter of time until he can stand up, might as well with Luffy on his back. It's almost like riding on a wild horse, Luffy thinks. He's not about to lose.

He manages to grab the man's neck, and with a jerking movement backwards, the struggling stops. This time an eerie crack echoes. Luffy is pretty sure he's dead, but at the moment he has more important things to worry about than actually checking; his brothers whereabouts for instance.

He strips the man out of his clothes as quickly as he can, not particularly keen on stealing a most likely dead man's clothes, but this isn't the time to think about what he wants, but what he _has_ to do. He pulls the uniform over his own clothes, hoping that that way the size difference would be less obvious, and takes the weapons, though doesn't know what to do with the body. He can't just leave it there.

He drags the body behind a pillar, and scratches his head. Best case scenario he could get it up to the ceiling, but he doesn't have a rope or anything that could substitute it, so that's out. He could just leave it propped against the pillar if there was something to support it so that it wouldn't fall. He would need a stay-rod or something.

He has a spear though.

He takes the spear and frames the wooden end to the meeting of the floor and the wall, pushing the sharp edge of the weapon into the man's stomach deep to prop him up properly and securely. This should do the trick, he thinks, proud of his work.

Now he can finally get to work.

* * *

He reaches the second level without any obstacles, the guards he meets on his way are not suspecting anything. They even invite him to join in on their card games or drink with them, the poor souls, he thinks, they don't suspect anything. He tries not to search for Ace too conspicuously, tries not to stare too much into each cell.

He grows anxious by the time he's nearing the end of the hallways, where he guesses the prisoners of state are held captive – Ace wasn't on the other side so he should be here.

The guard greets him with a friendly pat on his back. He tries to grin back, nervous. He feels like something is off here, but the heavy tension that has been accompanying him all day prevents him for pinpointing what exactly.

His eyes wander to the cell, seeing a curled up form on the bench in there. The man inside isn't by any means small, looking like a ball of muscle waiting to be released. His arms are decorated with ugly bruises and the skin is swelled up, angry red around the infected wounds that leak puss.

''Hey, hey. No need to look so lost – you're new, aren't you?''

''Yeah..'' he says, voice small, completely falling out of the act. He can't bring himself to go back to acting thought, seeing Ace's state bringing him dangerously close to his breaking-point.. He can barely restrain himself from rushing right inside – he would even chew and scrape his way through the bars if he had to – not necessary though, thanks to the keys in his pocket.

However small his voice was, it still caught the attention of Ace. Slowly, the filthy mop of wavy black hair rises, exposing a worn out freckled face. Bloodshot gray eyes go wide in disbelief, the bloodied, sand dry lips open and close without the owner having any control over them.

''… -of mind'' Luffy hears, snapping his head in the direction of the man that has apparently been talking to him. He hopes that it wasn't a question.

The man seems to notice that he stopped listening, because he repeats himself. ''I said I could tell – they're always like that, scared out of mind. Let me tell you, little one, these are not the ones that you should be afraid of, the worst pieces of scum still roam the streets''

''Y-yeah…'' he says, finding that his eyes have wandered back to Ace on their own. He wants to look away but can't, even though his brain screams at him to do so, to block the images of how roughed up his dear brother looks. He also feels anger boiling in him, boiling until it feels ice cold right in his core.

Whoever did this must pay and will pay – he will personally make sure of it.

He sees the panic on Ace's face, and the way he jumps to his feet, and can even see the movement of a spear coming into his direction from the corner of his eye, but his body's stoned and he can't do anything. The tip of the cold metal presses against his neck, but thankfully, it stops there.

''Who are you?'' the guard asks, demands, the friendly tone long gone. Luffy realizes what bothered him from the beginning – the kindliness was fake.

He doesn't answer, not wanting the blade to tear the skin on his neck. He just chooses to glare.

''Were you going to free this man? '' he asks, nodding his head in the direction of Ace.

His brother looks livid, and Luffy can tell that he's doing his hardest to calm himself down before he throws himself against the bars in a fit of rage. He's always been wiser than Luffy, albeit his temper often took the best of him. Still, his patience has its limits, limits that are neighboring in this case.

Their eyes meet, and the old, familiar bond they share seems to be the messenger of their thoughts. They're going to pull a trick or two.

'' How did you know?'' Luffy asks, the pressure on his throat uncomfortable, but he's going to do his best to break his concentration.

''That was easy'' the man smiles, '' You are not very precise, are you, little one? You forgot the spear''

Ace shuffles towards the bars without making a noise. Luffy thinks it isn't a smart move on the guard's part to turn his back to a prisoner, although normally it wouldn't mean a thing if he does that or not, as long as he's out of arm's reach.

''You didn't even take off your clothes before taking these.''

Luffy experientially tries to pull the ball of his feet backwards, feeling a dull stab in his throat instantly. He nearly gags at the sudden jab, feeling the amount of saliva in his mouth growing.

''Don't even think about it, little one.'' he says before his eyes drift to Luffy's clothing again. ''How would you even get these?'' he asks suspiciously.

He doesn't really know what to say, always bad at interludes. It has always been Sabo's part.

''Who did you get it from?!'' the guard yells now, poking his neck once more. Realization slowly dawns on his face before it darkens, threateningly so. ''Is that so?''

He seems mad now, Luffy thinks. He only needs a little push now to be there where they want him to be – he's very close to lose his composure completely.

''I didn't lost the spear – I propped up the body with that'' he says, as nonchalantly as he can.

And that does the trick.

Immediately, the pressure on his throat is gone as the man pulls the spear back, and Luffy barely has time to duck down before a sharp strike follows. The guard aims at him again then, this time with the intent to kill and Luffy charges forward, scarcely getting out of the way, and he pushes the man against the cell by his hips.

Not a moment later Ace's muscular arm reaches out and grabs the man's face, and jerks it back until it knocks against the bars, the metal bending from the impact while the body goes still. As the freckled prisoner's hold loosens, the man falls to the ground lifelessly, and Luffy notices the blood trickling down from his head down on his neck, tainting the uniform. The sheer force broke his skull, he guesses.

''Luffy..'' Ace says, voice carrying too many emotions that Luffy can't quite understand.

''Ace!'' he cries, suddenly feeling light and giddy. He clambers to his feet and rushes to the cell, gripping the bars in excitement. ''AceAceAceAce…''he murmurs, his grin widening to an impossible extend. He feels tears of joy running down his cheeks, but he doesn't care because Ace is there.

He shuffles through his pocket with shaky hands, searching for the keys, but it slips out of his hands. He ends up handing them to Ace as his hand trembles too hard for him to unlock the door himself. The cell opens with a creak, and Luffy's ready to just jump at Ace and tackle him, but the sharp pain of a fist colliding with his skull stops him from executing his plan.

''Ow! Ace! What was that for?!'' he pouts, rubbing the sore spot.

''Idiot! What the fuck were you thinking!? Coming here like that?! What the fuck are you even doing in Flevance?" Ace scolds, albeit Luffy can tell that behind the chiding there's immense amount of worry and fear of losing his little brother.

He's about to respond when he feels Ace's arms wrapping around him tightly, almost painfully so, but it's comforting and warm and he returns it with a death grip of his own. Ace playfully lifts him up a little, until Luffy's chin rests on his shoulder, highlighting their still present height difference – which Luffy claimed would be non-existent by now.

He feels the shoulder under his chin shake, if from laughter or crying he can't tell, he can't even decide what he's doing at the moment – both probably.

The moment Ace releases him he already misses the warmth, and he's about to voice his displeasure, but the stern look Ace gives him forces him back to reality. Talk later, act now. They will have plenty of time to catch up later on, right now they lack the time to do so.

''What do we do now?'' Luffy asks, glad that he can finally trust someone else, a more reliable person with the planning – he has already been starting to develop a fever from thinking too much over such a short amount of time.

''How did you get inside the castle? Scratch that, how'd you end up in Flevance?'' Ace asks while crouching down and giving Luffy the discarded spear.

''Law brought me here'' Luffy says, mixed feelings stirring inside him at the thought of the man. He has been nothing but kind to Luffy, although he was the one that raided Bateriella.

Ace stops rummaging through the guard's pockets at that and gives the younger a surprised look. ''Trafalgar? Were you captured? Has Bateriella fallen already?''

He nods. '' It lasted for like three weeks, but the Northern army took over in the end''

Ace sighs, an ironic smile playing on his lips ''And here were we, sending you there to be safe..for like what? Two weeks?''

''One'' he replies with a shit eating grin. He has insisted on staying in Goa, and fight too, but his family has been obstinate about putting him into a safer place. He has arrived to Bateriella one week before the siege has begun.

What little playfulness his brother had on his face disappears with his next question. '' Are you a… slave now?'' he asks, jaw clenching at the mere thought.

''Nope'' he says quickly, ''Law freed me after I helped him and I came here on my own..'' he trails off as he feels Ace's intense gaze on him.

''Helped him? You? Why on the earth would you- '' he takes a breath to calm himself down, ''He's our enemy, Luffy. He's a lackey of the Celestials – did you forget whose fault it is that our people starve? That man works for them!'' he yells, his previously sickly white face flushing red from anger.

He feels the need to defend Law, though he's at loss for the right words. It isn't like Ace is wrong, but he doesn't understand it either. ''He's nice.''

''Nice?'' Ace asks, disbelief oozing from his tone. He seems to be in a search for the joke there. ''Luffy, you should hear yourself now!''

''I love him!'' he blurts out, boldly, and Ace looks like he just slapped him. He knows he shouldn't feel this way. He feels guilt about it, and he feels guilt about betraying Law too, but doesn't regret freeing Ace either. He just doesn't know what to do now.

Apparently, Luffy's outburst was what Ace needed to come to his senses because he just turns to Luffy, no visible trace of the anger that was radiating off of him. ''We'll talk about it later – let's go!''

* * *

Later is not something to take granted – that was the lesson of the day, and the knowledge impregnates into their brain so deep that neither Luffy nor Ace will ever forget it.

They get back to where Luffy got the guard's uniform, together and safe without any obstacles. Albeit the adrenaline is still pumping in his blood and makes his heart beat faster than it has ever had to, he still feels calmer in some way, having his strong big brother on his side. He could manage on his own, but Ace next to him feels reassuring, his mere presence enough to trick him into thinking how everything is going to be all right in the end.

They will get out, together and safe and go back to Goa. Luffy has decided. Flevance isn't his place to be, he doesn't belong there – the city itself never felt like home to him, in spite of the fact that Law's arms did. He'll miss Law, he can tell that beforehand from the already present ache in his heart, but it isn't like he has a choice.

He's brought back to reality by the unexpected appearance of a group of guards that are not under any circumstances supposed to be there. They don't notice them fortunately, inspecting the lifeless body of the man Luffy has left here, a wide, dark trail of blood where he was dragged out from behind the pillar.

''Did you do that?'' Ace asked after he had pulled him behind a pillar, his voice quieter than a whisper, taking his eyes off of the guards to look at Luffy for a moment.

''Yeah..''

''Was he going up?''

''Yeah..''

''Damn change of shift..'' Ace mutters. Luffy doesn't particularly get it, but he knows it isn't necessary for him to understand. It is enough if Ace understands.

The freckled man begins to make a plan of some short, if one could call it a plan at all: stay together, break out, get to safety. 'How' is the only question here, one that isn't solved, that requires improvisation – they don't have the time to wait for another shift to start nor can they afford to wait around at all.

Words must be spreading fast and the place will be abounding of guards. Taking them head on would be too risky at the moment, even Luffy realizes that. Were Ace at his prime they would have kicked their asses and already be out of this hellhole, but he knows his brother well enough to tell when he's okay and when not. He's far from it at the moment.

His arms shake, fingers uncoordinated, skin feeling dry like paper, sickly white colored skin where it isn't red from swellings. His eyes have sunken, looking bigger than usual, cheekbones more prominent. Law has high cheekbones but contrary to Ace it makes him more handsome. His brother just looks sick like this.

Before the plan could have been started, they're ambushed. He kicks and Ace punches, however futile it is. Normally Ace is stronger than Luffy, owning a monstrous muscle strength but in his weakened state he's no match.

One thing is still lacking though, the strategy behind their actions. Sabo is – was- the one providing them with that, like a guide of sorts. He notices things neither of them do, having the ability to see what lies beneath the surface. He's really needed at the moment, not that his brain is the only reason why Luffy wants him to be here.

A low, raw grunt of anguish hits his ears, the ominous sound drawing his attention to Ace. There's a tear on his clothes now, where Luffy supposes his heart is, an expanding taint of red, a metallic shine of something small and pointy- like an arrow.

Oh, how he wishes Sabo would be here the moment Ace falls to the ground, twitching unnaturally in a growing pool of red liquid – of blood- that makes Luffy cringe at the image. Still, he would have preferred having him jerking on the ground over him going eerily still in a matter of seconds. He has a foreboding feeling and he prays for it to be the paranoia in him.

It has him fall forward without a second thought, needing proof that what he sees is just a mirage, a cruel trick of his mind, that Ace is fine and everything is fine. They'll get out, together and safe.

''Ace'' he croaks, ignoring how pitifully weak he sounds even for himself. Getting no reaction, he grabs on Ace's muscled arm with both hands. ''Ace'' he shakes him, desperation taking over his common sense.

It's hard to tell if Ace's skin really has gotten a tint of gray, or if it's just the bad lighting and Luffy's panic, though it doesn't change the fact that Ace just won't react to anything he does. His expression is one of agony; his eyes wide open glassily staring into nothing.

They will haunt him as years pass by, Luffy has no doubt about that.

Ace is dead, one part of him says, no he isn't, the other persuades, and Luffy can't decide which is right and which is lying. It's like his head is being pulled into two opposite sides, resignation and denial. Ace would be mad if he resigned, if he has killed him so soon.

Ace's stronger than that.

You can't kill a dead man, he thinks, a wave of emptiness burning itself through his heart. There's pain, unbearable agony that hurts so much that he feels numb. He's hugging Ace's body, clinging to what remains of him in this world despairingly, not ready to let go of him just yet. He needs Ace, needs him to be with him, he can't leave just yet, there's so much to say before they part, he can't…

He can't do this.

His hands slide from Ace to his own face, hands shaking, hands with blood dripping from them to the pool that he's kneeling in. He fists his hair, tugs roughly, hoping that if he pulls it hard enough it'll wake him up, and he'll wake up in Goa, and Ace and Sabo will be there laughing at how scared he's of a mere dream, but he'll willingly endure any teasing if it gives back Ace. Ace said they'll talk later and he always keeps his word, doesn't he?

Doesn't he?

His fists press against his eyes hard, the blood that gets in them stings, even the insides of eyelids seem red instead of the comforting black. Just be over, be over already, he begs.

He won't ever take 'later' as granted, and Ace won't either because he's dead and not coming back.

He feels weak, detached from his own body; the world has turned blurry and soundless. What keeps repeating in his head is the whiz of the arrow, the heavy thump of Ace's lifeless body falling onto the ground, the small sound he made – that terrible choked up gasp of shock and immense pain.

Vivid images of his brother jerking on the ground in his last moment in an useless attempt to get out of death's embrace, the pool of blood that grew bigger and bigger as life left him are still fresh on his mind, mingling with the sweet childhood memories they shared, warm and happy and idyllic in a sharp contrast to the harsh, cruel reality.

His head aches numbly, throbs, feels like exploding under the pressure he's been going under the past hours, days, weeks, they all seem to crash down on him at once. The agony, the loss, like a parasite is eating him up from the inside, infecting every fiber of his being. This is too much.

He doesn't know how much time passed, it could be days or even minutes for what he senses. He's sliding in and out of consciousness, indulges in his own world filled with sorrow and loss. The terrible truth is that the reality isn''t any better.

What he does notice is when he's pulled back by his clothes from behind, away from his brother, his dead, glazed eyes hollowly staring at him, and he knows if he goes now he'll never see him again, never ever, he'll be gone forever.

He panics when Penguin walks up to Ace and puts his index and middle finger on his eyes, forcing the eyelids to close. He tries to lunge forward, the thought of anyone going even near Ace replacing his pain with anger. He's held down though, can feel both of his arms being gripped tightly.

''Don't touch him!'' he yells, and Penguin turns around instantly, and while his face is hidden by a chaperon, Luffy can easily imagine a grim expression, his eyes burning with anger directed at him.

He strides over and motions for the guards to let go of him, and Luffy's shoved forward so that he falls to his knees. He sits back on his heels and looks up at Penguin, wary of the newfound hostility he emits – he doesn't know what he's about to do. He obviously isn't happy at the turn of events. Luffy stubbornly makes eye contact though, never one to back down.

He sees Penguin's raised hand, prepares for the hit, and from the corner of his eyes he sees Ace's corpse being tucked into a cocoon of dark material. Instinctively he wants to crawl there, moves to do so but Penguin steps in front of him. He thought better than to hit him, though he could have gotten away with that easily – Luffy lacks the energy to fight back or to even stand up. He's drained and exhausted, but sleep would avoid him, he's sure of that.

''Do you have any idea what have you done, Luffy?'' he demands in a dangerously calm voice. Silent anger is the most lethal, Luffy knows that well. He doesn't wait for an answer, just continues. ''The only thing that refrains me from taking your head right there is that Law thinks so highly of you''

The mention of Law's name causes a wave of mixed emotions to wash over him, crashing over his head. He feels bitter and angry, betrayed and guilty at the same time, torn between wanting to see him, be in his arms and stealing his kisses and wanting to strangle him, or at least be as far from him as possible. He doesn't know what to do with all these conflicted feelings.

While there was no way for Law to know about Ace's relationship to Luffy at that point when he captured him – when they had yet to meet at all -, Law is still the one responsible for the freckled man's death. He may not have shot that arrow or gotten his hands dirtied at all, but he got Ace in this situation in the first place.

If only his brother had been left alone, this wouldn't be happening. Nothing would have gone wrong, Law and Luffy could have been happy here – he knows that. He's well aware of that, and this hurts the most, he thinks. The what ifs – what if Law and Ace had never met, what if Ace had escaped during his ride from Banaro to Flevance, what if Ace had dodged that arrow, what if the wound hadn't been fatal, so many what ifs that could have prevent the tragedy.

A happy ending was just an arm's reach away, dangling in front of them, and when his hand grazed it, when he pushed himself a little closer with the determination of 'just another inch closer', he stumbled and fell face-first into a dark, endless pit of dolor, into the sea of grief.

He can't swim.

The sound of the creaking door being closed behind him, accompanied by the loud slamming, is enough to pull him back into reality. He's back in a wet cell, whether or not in the same he's been mere days ago is beyond him.

Penguin leaves without as much as a glance thrown at his direction. He doesn't care; he wishes it were the biggest problem in his life that somebody decided to ignore him. He has no desire to deal with it when Ace fills his every thought, memories recent and ancient, and Law's on his mind too, everything he's had with the older man that he just doomed.

He's left alone with his loss, and the constant dripping of water proves to be a surprisingly prolific ground for thinking, almost cruelly so, the planted seed growing rapidly until his every fiber can remember and relive the destruction one arrow can cause.

Penguin's company would be welcomed now, Luffy's ready to admit that.

* * *

The carriage pulls through the heavy iron gates, the familiar ornate wrought in it causes an unexpected spark of calmness to blossom inside him that mixes with the bubbling anticipation in his gut. He's eager to see Luffy and glad that he can share a bed with him tonight, even if not in the sensual sense of the word; the presence is enough for him for the time being.

What he doesn't expect is the grim expressions the servants wear, the look of wariness on their faces, the lips pressed into straight lines instead of curling into welcoming smiles, but what really makes him think is the absence of Luffy. Law isn't one to anger, he's made sure of that on many occasions that everyone here knows that, but at the moment he's more absorbed in a fear fueled vivid fantasy as to how could the absence of his lover and the unsaid apologies be tied .

He comes to the conclusion that something must have happened to his lover, and while he doesn't like it in the slightest and hopes that it isn't the case – not only on the behalf of him but on the behalf of the staff; there would be, after all, dire consequences if whatever happened was caused by one's neglect – he can't really think of anything else, maybe because his brain seems to be shut down from the electric wave of fear these thought bring to the surface.

''Where's Luffy?'' he asks, and if the silence hasn't been suffocating up until now, then it is unbearable now.

Penguin is the brave one who steps forward. ''You might want to discuss this in private, My Lord'' he grits out, fists shaking at his sides from balling them so tightly. He looks more angry than scared and that confuses Law.

He searches for Penguin's eyes, trying to glean some kind of information there, but all he gets is the feeling that he really won't be happy about whatever he has to say.

''Alright.''


	3. Chapter 3

''He's in the dungeons right now'' Penguin says, and Law waits for him to continue albeit his eyes flash angrily, and his posture goes rigid in matter of seconds, ready to launch himself at Penguin, a warning to his friend that he better be careful of what he says next.

The other male must be aware of that, obviously at a loss for words of how to word his thoughts without directing the Duke's anger on himself. ''He… betrayed you'' he starts, not very tactfully.

''He wouldn't-''

Penguin interrupts him, which in itself is worthy of being punished, but the words that leave his lips make Law's entire being go into shock. It outweighs the disrespect. ''He set Portgas D. Ace free and attempted to escape with him… Portgas is dead but Luffy is unharmed..'' he pauses to think it over, and then continues, ''physically, at least. I'm not one to say anything about the mental damage, though even I can tell he's not okay"

His mouth opens and closes automatically, any sound that he wants to force out stuck in his throat, forming a lump there that barely lets him breathe. He wants to yell, to cry, to hit someone, but most of all, he wants to see Luffy, wants him to deny it all, to give him a good reason for doing this to him, something reasonable to justify what he has done.

He needs those answers and he's determined to get them, consequences be damned.

His hands tremble from sheer anger by the time he's standing in front of Luffy's cell, his knuckles are white and even the sight of Luffy's shaking, curled up form isn't enough to calm him down, though it does make him feel a bit of pity. He slides the key into the keyhole and turns it, the clicking sound catching Luffy's attention.

He looks up then, and the sight feels like a punch in the gut for Law. He looks dead, eyes hollow, face emotionless. He looks like he aged decades in mere days and his posture is but a helpless sight – he looks pitiful, like he lost the pride he used to carry so deep within him, like his will, his readiness to fight was taken away from him. It's just the empty shell that remained of the boy Law has come to love.

''Law…'' he whimpers, his broken tone efficiently clawing deep gashes onto Law's heart and bringing forth seemingly distant memories of when he would call him 'Torao' and when he would argue with Luffy over that ridiculous nickname he had given him, thinking about how it was less than two weeks ago and he realizes that you really don't fucking recognize happiness when you're living right in the middle of it, only after reality comes down on you is when you begin to long for what you've taken for granted until that point.

''Stand up'' he orders, nothing else coming out of his mouth. He can't even decide what he thinks or how he feels, let alone form it into words. There's a story to be told and thought over first.

Luffy takes the first step towards Law, wobbling on his legs, and Law catches a glimpse of fresh tears in his eyes. The boy moves to hug him but he swats his hands away, the action killing something inside of him – that touch is something he craved the minute he stepped out of the walls of the castle, but he can still taste the bitter betrayal and the underlying anger that won't disappear just from a tear-soaked face, even if the heartbroken expression belongs to his dearest.

The sheds of broken trust are bedded in his heart as an ugly reminder of how he's been betrayed, the ache is enough to maintain his anger.

He turns his back to Luffy as the teen lets out hideous, heart-wrenching but most of all honest sobs, motioning for him to follow. He doesn't need to look back to know that the boy is following him, listening to his sniffles and whines is all he needs to be able to tell.

* * *

Once inside of his chamber, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping, he immediately pushes Luffy against a wall. His control is crumbling, like a dam about to be overflowing with water.

''Why did you do this?'' he asks, _demands_. It isn't just Luffy's; his hands are trembling too, his precision long lost.

''I-'' he begins, stopped by the big stream of tears rolling down on his cheeks.

He shakes the boy, probably gripping his arms painfully tight but at that moment he's too caught up in anger and everything else he's feeling to bother with that. ''Answer me, Luffy''

'' I just- Ace was – he's – "

His raging emotions come to a dangerously sudden halt when the name sinks in. It feels like having cold water poured on him, like all those unbearably intense emotions finally tear down the dam and are flowing freely now, the flood destroying everything in its path.

Portgas D. Ace. Who was he to Luffy? How would they know each other?

Then it clicks. They're both from Bateriella.

Luffy's way too upset for them to be just acquaintances.

Could it be?

Were they something more?

Lovers perhaps?

The thought itself is enough to have his expression darken. ''Luffy'' he says, impatiently, ready to rip off even his head. ''Who was he to you?''

The boy whimpers, pathetically, snot mixing with his tears. ''He's- Ace's- dead'' he takes a rattling breath that's painful to hear, ''he's- gone… he left- left me''

Something snaps inside him after that, betrayal and growing jealousy bringing him to do something he regrets the very moment he does it. His hand rises automatically and comes down on Luffy's wet cheek. For a moment, everything is silent, Luffy's crying comes to a stop from shock, the only sound heard is the loud slap as his hand makes contact with Luffy's cheek.

His head turns to the side on its own, jaw slack whether from trying to breathe through his mouth or from the shock Law cannot tell. Luffy looks at him then with wide eyes, tears once again falling from them, and he stares back with equally wide eyes, panting, exhausted as the typhoon of emotions is starting to calm down, leaving shame behind.

He just hit Luffy. He wants to cut down his filthy arm that he has laid on his beloved.

He cups Luffy's face, suddenly fearing losing his lover. He's gone too far. He brushes his thumbs over the wet, round cheeks carefully, like he is touching the most delicate porcelain, wordlessly apologizing. ''Do you even understand what you have done? Why did you do that? Why did you betray me?'' he asks, begs to know what he's done to deserve this. His voice is soft and higher than usual.

Their foreheads are almost touching now, Law can feel Luffy's breath on his face. ''My brother..I tried to help him…he's dead, Ace's dead-'' Luffy hiccups, threatening to hyperventilate again.

''Your brother? Portgas D. Ace is your brother?'' he asks, letting go of Luffy, his rational part taking over. There wasn't any information on Portgas having a little brother.

Luffy nods weakly, looking a bit calmer. His lips still quiver though as he tries to fight back another round of excruciating sobbing.

Law makes sure he looks Luffy dead in the eye during his next question, forcing himself not to be affected by the blinding pain there. ''Who are you?''

The teen instantly stiffens, hesitates to answer him. His eyes dart from side to side as if he was looking for an escape route, and when Law thinks he's going to sprint to the window and jump out from the third floor, Luffy relaxes and holds his gaze with a determined, defiant look that finally reminds him of his Luffy; the one he has fallen in love with. ''Monkey D. Luffy''

His eyes widen; he knows the name Monkey, knows it all too well, though he still clings to the slight hope that it isn't true in the end. This would only make things even more complicated. ''As in…?'

''Son of Archduke Monkey D. Dragon, prince of Goa'' Luffy replies automatically like he's spent his entire life repeating this sentence over and over. Albeit his tone could be called bored even, Law doesn't miss the way Luffy plays with his fingers as an outlet for his nervousness.

''That explains a lot, doesn't it?'' he notes, keeping it ironically nonchalant.

It's just turned out that that he's been keeping his lover's brother captive for months. That very brother, a very important prisoner of war, just died. It also turns out that his lover just happens to be the son of the man who started the whole war and whom he has sworn to kill for the sake of his country.

He's way too shocked to react properly, if there's any way at all to have a decent answer to this situation other than 'well shit' or any high vocabulary phrase like that. He supposes he's doing a rather good job at handling it, not counting the headache that will without doubt tackle him soon. This won't be pretty, he can already tell that much.

''Still'' he begins when a thought occurs to him, ''There aren't any papers of you or Portgas having siblings. Nothing indicates you two are related. You even have different names.''

''Blood doesn't matter!'' Luffy almost yells, vehemently. Must be a sensitive topic, Law thinks.

''It doesn't'' he agrees easily, but he actually means it.

It's silent after that, save for the occasional sniffs of Luffy. Law notices that he still looks like he could burst into tears at any given moment, which is completely understandable. He shouldn't hold it back, it doesn't do any good for him; it isn't healthy.

''I-I didn't mean to..betray you..it's just-'' Luffy hiccups, not being able to fight down the urge to cry any longer ''After I heard that..he's down there.. I just couldn't…leave him there…I needed to..needed to do something..''

Law really has to concentrate hard to make out anything the sobbing, distorted mess is saying. He would tell him that it doesn't matter, that he doesn't have to force himself to say anything but he's aware that it's better out of his system now than be bottled up and carried around like a heavy border in his heart and explode weeks, months, years later.

Regardless of that, he still feels a thorn inside of him, nagging and stinging persistently with the turn of events. It wouldn't be fair under any circumstances to make Luffy choose between Law and his family, but after this had happened, Law feels bitter that he lost.

He knows it's the last things he should be concerned about, and definitely the last to bring up as Luffy's hurting enough, he's well aware of that. But it's not that he can help feeling this way.

''B-but.. I- I wanted to stay..with you.. and I was just gonna- let him out..and come back- I didn't mean to betray-''

''What do you call it then?'' he snarls, getting seriously angry now, again. Luffy planned to make a fool out of him. He does not particularly like to be fooled.

Luffy leaps forward and grabs his mantle, clutching the material desperately. ''I.. wanted to'' hiccup, ''to stay..together..because I.. I love you..''

And there's the magic word that lost its power before it was used even once, going stale after a long time of storing – love. He wants to believe in the sweet lie as he would have done before he left for that fucking parliamentary sitting, but he finds himself unable to. The words feel empty now.

He doesn't answer, doesn't manage to say anything, yet he has so much he wants to say. He doesn't take Luffy in his arms either.

The teen looks at him with wide, hurt eyes, and he takes in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before his temper gets the better of him and he does something he will surely regret later.

''Law…you have to…please…''

Law grabs his wrists, one in each hand. ''I have to what? Believe you? After this? After you-''

'' You don't-'' the teen presses, looking pathetic. Watching him Law doesn't see the man that he has fallen for, he doesn't even know who this person in front of him is. Luffy feels like a complete stranger at the moment. He's more disappointed and sad than angry now.

* * *

Luffy's head hurts, his eyes are burning and there's a persistent ache in his heart, his body wants to direct his hands there from Law's clothing but he's afraid to let go, as if the touch is the last thing still connecting them. He has never been good with words, maybe if he was things would look better now. If he could properly express himself and get his message, his feelings across maybe Law could forgive him.

''I love you..'' he whispers, a bit disheartened after the look of disbelief on Law's face when he first told him that. His voice is thin but nothing truer has ever left his lips before, and being the terrible liar he is he hardly tells lies.

''Do you?'' Law asks in a dangerously low tone, squeezing his wrists a little.

Luffy tears his hands out of his painful hold, though instead of lowering them he cups Law's face firmly and pulls him down, standing on his tiptoes to reach his lips. He's desperate and Law's rough, the position is uncomfortable as he's leaning on his toes too heavily even through the fabric of boots, but Law keeps him in place with a hand on the back of his head gripping his hair.

It isn't really painful, it's just a reminder of what Law could do if he wanted to, it's a bit like a warning on Law's part perhaps, at least that's what Luffy thinks. He doesn't really get what Law wants from him, but judging by their fierce kiss he'll take a guess.

Surprisingly, it's Law who pulls away first, and Luffy just leans on his broad chest and hugs him after he is able to stand steadily again, sighing a little when Law's arms wrap around him. His voice gets stuck in his throat as his hands slide down to his ass and Law grabs his cheeks teasingly. His body arches into the touch slightly, his mouth opens for an almost soundless gasp and he can feel heat crawling under his skin.

Law hands wander further until they rest on the back of Luffy's thighs, letting Luffy know that he wants to pick him up with a squeeze. He easily does so, Luffy coiling his legs around his waist as the older man seals their mouth together again. He barely notices being carried to the bed, what pulls him out of the trance is his next sober thought when his back hits the mattress; they shouldn't be doing this.

It brings a pang of guilt as company. Ace is still in the back of his mind, the memory too fresh to leave him even for a moment but his body enjoys the attention Law's giving him, craves for his touches. He's ashamed of himself, feels filthy for wanting this, he could be going at it next to his brother's corpse and he would get the same results. His eyes are tearing up at the thought.

A small moan leaves his mouth and even he can't tell if it's from guilt or from the heavenly feeling of Law sucking on a spot just behind his ear, and he just rakes his fingers through Law's hair. He really likes it, Law's hair, it's black with a tint of blue that's only seen when the strands move a bit and the sun rays hit them from just the right angle. It's soft, unlike his own coarse mess of hair.

Law's hands sneak under his shirt, moving up his side teasingly, brushing the area around his nipple with his thumbs, and then rubbing the skin on his hipbones. He tugs at Law's coat, frustrated with the heavy layers of clothes his body's hidden under, without breaking their heated kiss.

Law sits back on his heels to get out of his clothes, starting with the mantle. He buttons down his long coat next, and Luffy's left alone lying on the bed for long enough to wonder if this is really a good idea. Even he knows it isn't, but every thought of backing out flies out the window when Law's shirtless body appears in front of him as if reading his mind. He can't help staring, fascinated with the contrast of the curves of black ink against his pale skin – his grandfather would surely say it mars his body, in Luffy's opinion though, it's only adorning.

Minutes later they're both stark naked, but it couldn't be soon enough. The skin on skin contact feels good, warm and exciting; it summons the foreign feeling of want in Luffy that only gets more apparent as his cock stiffens. Law kisses his way down from his collarbone to his abdomen, sucking on the skin just below his navel, above where the trail of hair begins.

Law leans back only to grab Luffy's legs on the back of knees, one in each hand, forcing him to spread his legs wide enough for him to fit in between. Not that Luffy needed much forcing to do that, and that only adds to the embarrassment to being exposed like that. It's weird to him, this whole embarrassment thing, he never has been self-conscious about his body but the way Law's looking at him at the moment, he can feel his face burning from it.

Luffy's squirming a bit as Law's hot mouth kisses his inner thigh, slowly drawing nearer to his crotch, his goatee tickling his skin. He thinks for a moment, hopes, that Law might take him into his mouth, but the man sticks to teasing him, the feathering touches of his fingers and his mouth effectively driving Luffy insane. He whines; he's hard now, painfully so.

''Please, Law'' he urges and he thanks the heavens when Law grabs him by his hips and turns him around so that he's lying on his stomach.

He hides his face in a pillow as Law slides his fingers between his cheeks, running them over his entrance, adding a little pressure, as if testing him. He doesn't breach him, it isn't unpleasant but not entirely comfortable either – it's too dry for that. Still, the feeling sends his mind reeling, thoughts and lewd images of what is going to happen filling him, replacing every coherent thought he had.

He misses the probing digits the moment they're gone, even more so when he can feel his cheeks being pulled apart. If he was embarrassed lying naked with his legs spread, he lacks the vocabulary to what he feels when he's lying in front of Law naked, with his hole exposed for the world to see.

There's Law's hot breath against his entrance and he can't stop a high pitched whine from escaping his lips when he feels something dripping on him. One finger enters him then, and Luffy doesn't have a better word to describe it than 'new'. Albeit it feels just exactly like a finger shoved up his ass, surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. It's only one knuckle deep inside, or so Luffy thinks, and Law moves it around in circles to get him used to the feeling.

He adds a second finger, stretching him further. He doesn't go deep this time either, stimulating the initial ring of muscle until Luffy stops tensing up every time he pushes into him. When Law deems Luffy prepared, he replaces his middle and index finger with his thumbs, only breaching until the nail, once again doing that dirty, embarrassing thing and Luffy can't help but moan, wanting more of the fingers that are barely teasing his sensitive flesh now.

Despite his obvious, raw want there's shame pooling in his gut, he feels like Law can see through him. It makes him a bit uncomfortable. Then Law spits inside of him, warm saliva moisturizing him and Luffy's really turned on, wiggling his hips, wanting something to finally happen. ''Law'' he cries, muffled by the pillow he's burying his face in.

''I'm putting it in'' Law says, pressing a kiss to the small of Luffy's back, his husky tone and lips pressed on the small of Luffy's back sending shivers down on his spine.

Luffy's heart is beating fast, frantically, ominous anticipation twisting in his gut as Law shuffles behind him. He gasps as he feels the tip of Law's cock against his entrance, nudging him slightly. He needs to remind himself to breathe, because air is a necessity even though he has more urgent things to worry about, like Law's cock that slid inside of him in one shift movement.

A moan gets stuck in his throat, a barely audible whine is the only sound leaving him. He can't move, not even from the source of pain - and he's thankful that Law isn't moving either-, he's just lying and panting. Once his muscles relax he realizes that it isn't really painful, only the intrusion was sudden. It's a strange feeling, being filled up like that, but it most definitely isn't that bad although he can't call it pleasant either.

Law pulls back a little, pushing back a moment later a little deeper than he did at the beginning. Luffy groans, apparently not being as stretched as he originally thought, trying his hardest not to clench his muscles again, what little friction his cock gets from Law's thrust pushing him into the mattress barely keeping him distracted, only enough for him not to lose his erection.

The thrusts are slowly forming an even rhythm, nothing too fast or hard but Luffy notices that Law's subtly going deeper with each in and out movement. The slide is easier now that his insides remembers the shape of Law's cock, and he's getting used to the feeling of being filled up like that. Law's hands are on his hips, pulling him up, and while Luffy has a feeling that they're meaning to urge him to raise his ass higher he ignores them.

''On your knees'' Law orders him, more impatient now.

''No'' he says back, finding that pose too embarrassing, too dirty. He doesn't know what he wants though; he doesn't want to be on all fours but he doesn't want Law to see his face either. He's doing just fine at the moment, or more like _Law_ is doing _him_ just fine at the moment.

''Luffy'' Law warns, clearly not amused, letting Luffy know with a particularly deep thrust. Luffy moans, his voice high and wrecked, and holy shit, whatever Law did is really fucking amazing.

''Law'' he says back, tone completely different, one that clearly shows that the owner has his head in the clouds. It's not even far from what he feels, he thinks he would be willing to do anything Law asks him to do. He wiggles his hips a little, trusting his body language to communicate what he wants, not finding it in himself to beg to be fucked harder.

''Is that so?'' Law chuckles, dark and breathless. ''Turn around, then''

The older man leans back, not leaving any space for arguments as he pulls out of him and Luffy makes a noise of displeasure, obviously not happy with the sudden empty feeling. He gasps as Law grabs his hips again, manhandling him until he's lying on his back. Law has each of his legs in one hand again, holding them by the back of knee so that his heels are hanging in the air, and he's spread open and ready to be fucked.

Much to his delight, Law doesn't waste any time with putting his cock where it should be, right inside his ass. He's resting a little too much of his weight on Luffy's legs, almost completely leaning on him – Luffy's thighs and knees are touching his chest now.

The new pose is a bit uncomfortable, for his legs at least; it doesn't take a lot of time for them to feel heavy and tired, but Law's doing him just good so he won't complain. He doubts that any sensible word could squeeze itself through his loud pants and moans anyway.

He feels Law's lips on his, and his tongue in his mouth. The kiss is rough and messy with teeth crashing together, and Luffy has a feeling that Law's still angry. When they break apart, he looks Law in the eye, a little timid of what he's going to find there. It might have been one of the reasons he wanted to stay lying on his stomach where they can't see each other's expression.

Beads of sweat glisten on his forehead, or roll down his temple, his mouth is opening and closing as he grunts breathlessly. The sight alone is a big turn on even if he seems a bit crazy like that, except for his eyes. He looks tormented; Law's amber orbs are darkened, lust and lingering anger creating a dangerous mix of emotions.

He hurt Law, he knows that all too well. He never intended to but he still managed to fuck things up and royally at that. All of sudden, it's hard to breathe, not from the heavy use his body at the moment, but from the suffocating wave of guilt.

He hurt Law and let down Ace, yet Law's here and he didn't… didn't leave him. He may not have forgiven him just yet, but he's willing to try at least and that's the only thought Luffy can cling onto. His eyes are burning.

He doesn't have the slightest clue what he would do if he lost Law too.

''Luffy.'' he hears and he cracks his eyes open, blurrily seeing Law above him. He didn't notice that he closed them in the first place. His legs are lowered down and Law's hands come up to cup his face, Law leaning down to press his lips against Luffy's cheek. ''You want to stop?'' he asks, slowing down his rhythm.

''No'' he says, wrapping his arms around Law' neck. He bucks his hips up a little, his body still longing for Law's touch despite the mental state he's in.

''You sure?'' Law murmurs into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe. He pulls back to look at Luffy's face to watch his response, making Luffy loosen his hold on him.

''It's good, c'mon, move'' he whines, raising his hands in front of his eyes. The tears are flowing uncontrollably, and he's fucking tired of it. He shouldn't even be able to cry after all the time he spent crying during the past day – _days_ if his sense of time is still functioning well.

''Touch yourself'' Law whispers as he resumes his previous pace. He forces Luffy's arms away from his face, watching Luffy with a concerned expression. Then he kisses him, trying to convey his caring with that one gesture and Luffy can't help the small smile that finds its way to his lips.

He takes Luffy's hand into his and leads it down in between their bodies until they reach Luffy's cock. ''It'll be better'' he says, moving their hands up and down on the shaft, and Luffy moans at how incredible the cock pounding into his ass and the stroking hand on his cock feel. He barely notices when Law pulls his hand back to lean on it, leaving Luffy to do the work himself.

Pressure that has steadily built up in him slowly becomes too much, and it's nothing like when he's jerking off alone, there's Law's body on his, skin on skin and it's all alive. He wants more of it, even though Law's already going at a fairly fast pace.

His hand leaves his cock, albeit it's hard to do so when it felt so good, and circles his arms around Law's shoulders. He runs his hands down on his back -digging his nails into Law's skin a bit while doing so- until they rest on Law's ass. ''Harder'' he asks, and much to the older man's surprise he jerks his hands towards himself, pulling Law closer so that he's leaning on his lower arm.

A long, drawn-out moan leaves his lips as Law accidentally goes too deep inside of him. He welcomes the pain because he's fucked just the right way, the way his body craves it. Thankfully Law gets the hint and starts to go harder, deeper. It hurts, the thrusts that are only slicked by Law's long since dried spit, but it still feels amazing, better than anything he has ever done.

Law's movements are slowly becoming more and more uncoordinated, though he still tries to aim and Luffy's aware that he should appreciate it, but at the moment he's far too gone to form any coherent thought. He just wants to, _needs_ to cum.

His body stills as the tension becomes too much and he's coming, back arching, heels digging into the mattress and head thrown back into the pillow, his mouth open for a silent scream but no sound escapes him. When he comes back to his senses only then does he notice that Law has already pulled out of him and there's something warm still inside of him, something that isn't solid but more liquid like.

His face is burning again, or is still burning from sex – he hasn't regained his breath just yet either. He really needs to clean himself up but his body feels too heavy and his eyelids have to be forced open for him to stay conscious. He can't sleep though, not when there's something, someone missing.

Law's already getting up and Luffy really doesn't want that. He manages to grab his tattooed hands before he had a chance to stand up. ''Stay with me…'' he asks, voice a little raspy. He must have been pretty loud, he thinks.

''I need some air'' Law says quickly and Luffy doesn't like it a bit. He's not a whore or to be treated like one.

There must be something on his face that gives away his thoughts, because Law concedes. ''I'll stay till you fall asleep.''

* * *

His hands tangle in Luffy's coarse, slightly damp hair, absently massaging his scalp even though the boy is already asleep. He's tired, his muscles are sore from sheer exhaustion and the warm body on his side looks very promising, the soft covers are inviting and yet sleep avoids him, his mind is still reeling.

Luffy lost his trust and has yet to gain it back, but he has forgiven him. He's willing to give him one more chance and he'll tell Luffy so too. He doesn't want their relationship to end, thus they need to sit down and have a nice, long chat - it should have been done in Bateriella at the very beginning, he sees that now.

The revelation of Luffy's family came as a huge shock and he still isn't over it – he already knows it will bring so much trouble, would possibly put his head on the line even. He's basically hiding the heir of Goa, the strongest area of East, he realizes. If words spread he would have both the revolutionary army and the imperials after him and the Northern Kingdom.

His hands shake a bit as he gets out of bed and rakes them through his hair to keep them occupied. He dresses quickly, hosen, boots and cyclas without a shirt under it, the material hanging loose as no belt keeps it tight around his waist. He leaves the chamber without a sound, not that Luffy was an easy person to wake up but he won't take any chances.

He wants some space to think, be alone with nothing that could distract him from his thoughts, and despite that he finds himself at the lounge room near Penguin's chambers where they often spend their time talking. He isn't disappointed as his friend is sitting on one of the red velvet sofas, the only sound heard is the cracking of fire coming from the fireplace.

They don't talk at first, Penguin waiting for Law to approach the matter on his own and Law trying to figure out how to voice his thoughts, how to break the news. He knows that his friend will be freaked out about Luffy and would try to convince him to get rid of him as soon as possible.

He sits down opposite to Penguin, looking around as if he's in the room for the first time. His fingers tap against the armrest absently, a bad habit he doesn't like when other people do but he's too agitated to really register doing it.

''I don't think I've ever seen you this slovenly'' Penguin notes, signaling that he's been observed in his own world for too long. Law doesn't have anything to say to that, he doesn't think he can be blamed for not looking neat after the painfully long day he has managed to get through.

''Luffy's the prince of Goa'' he says as nonchalantly as he can, his false smirk in place as he talks. The look of astonishment and disbelief all he needs to continue. ''You heard it right – he's Dragon's son. Portgas was his adopted brother.''

Silence. Suffocating, long silence. The pattern of the ornament wallpaper seems to move a bit as the chandelier casts light on it, and it's actually reflecting his own wavering emotions pretty well – the springing shadows are like the nagging, little voice in his head – the one that tells him not to trust Luffy.

They both are just his mind playing tricks on him, or so he hopes.

'' So what.. are you going to do? Send him to Marijoes?'' Penguin asks after the shock has worn out enough to have his brain working again.

He frowns, his every fiber protesting against giving Luffy into the hands of the capital's louses. '' I got a better idea.''

Something must have given him away as Penguin looks wary, not of him but whatever is going to leave his lips. A shit eating grin plays on his lips as he leans forward so that he rests his elbows on the table and says, ''I'll stop the war with Luffy's help''

''What are you planning?'' Penguin asks, leaning forward too, obviously intrigued yet a little scared. His breath has picked up some, Law can tell.

''He'll play the hostage and we'll see how important his son is to Dragon'' he says and Penguin groans, but doesn't object.

* * *

Things between him and Luffy are a bit weird now, for a lack of better term – their first time wasn't exactly supposed to be like this, but he doesn't regret it and he doesn't think Luffy regrets it either. Luffy clings to him almost desperately, but maybe it's understandable that he wants comfort, losing a sibling after all is not an easy thing to go through, he knows that.

Perhaps it's just him who feels weird, it might be just the uneasiness from what he's about to lay on Luffy. Law brings the matter up to Luffy a few days later, after they got ready for the day and had breakfast.

He honestly hasn't expected Luffy to agree immediately but surely hasn't expected such vehement refusal either.

''You will play it for me, won't you?'' Law begins, leaning in for a kiss. Much to Luffy's frustration, Law stops before his lips reach their destination, grazing Luffy's as he mumbles. ''To stop this pointless war''

''It isn't-'' he starts, indignant, but doesn't get further because Law cuts him off with slipping his tongue inside his mouth that has been opened to protest. He melts into it, always does, weak when it comes to the Duke's kisses and Law uses that for his advantage.

''Think about it'' Law whispers after he pulled back slightly, caressing Luffy's cheeks. One would think that with the way he's talking about politics his mind is focused on a similar topic but the way Law's eyes are fixed on his lips tells otherwise. Luffy looks like he can barely fight off a smug grin at that. He doesn't care though, as long as he can get Luffy to yield consent.

''No'' Luffy answers firmly, face hardening as they're back on the topic. ''We will-''

''Why shed more blood for a lost war?'' he cuts in, dropping his hand. They're standing in front of each other and Law has to look down to Luffy, courtesy of their height difference – it might be beneficial with anyone else, but Luffy isn't the kind of person who would be intimidated by something as mundane as that.

''It is not lost!'' Luffy says, raising his voice and crossing his arms, his face flushed by anger. ''More and more people are joining – we'll take down the Celestials and be free!''

''You don't have enough men or equipment-''

''We will have! Capone, for instance, is interested and-''

''That was before you lost the South!'' Luffy looks like he wants to object, but Law continues, ''Goa and Bateriella were the main forces you had – with Bateriella out of the picture there's nothing left. This war is nothing more than an agrarian riot now! You're mistaken if you think anyone would help you now!''

Luffy's taken aback, and Law can see a hairline crack in his determination. He just has to rip it further now. ''East isn't the only one enslaved, I'm sure people will-''

''People will not do anything until you show them accomplishment! Everybody wants the Celestials out of the way, yet they're still in power and have been for the last nine hundred years! Do you want to know why?'' he asks, not really expecting an answer or waiting for one for that matter.

The boy just looks at him with wide eyes, his previously crossed arms now dropped and fist balled. He's angry, if the anger is directed at him or the empire's forces is beyond him. He ignores it though, caught up with the argument.

''It's because no one is foolish enough to directly cross them! They've carefully built up their tyranny on blood and fear! No one will join you if you don't give them proof that you'll win – the consequences are too dire to risk it!'' he finishes, a bit out of breath. He didn't think he would be so carried away that he'll have his own monologue.

''Are you saying this was all in vain? The blood, the sacrifices, the massacre, everything?'' Luffy asks, his voice not above a whisper and Law wonders if he should have voiced it less harshly. Silent anger is the worst anger, like the calm before storm – it never means any good.

He cups Luffy's face, hesitates while doing so, and fortunately Luffy lets him touch him. ''Not yet'' he says softly. He kisses Luffy in a silent apology. ''The uprising caused quite the trouble, but it was doomed the moment Bateriella has fallen. You should stop now, while you have a chance to get out of this relatively well'' His hands wrap around Luffy's waist while he tells him that.

''What about the people? About my people.. they're starving, this is why the war was started in the first place, because they can't pay those taxes, I can't just..''

"I'm not saying it is rightful'' Law soothes him, rubbing circles on his back. ''You're just approaching it the wrong way. Violence is inevitable but you can't reach everything with sheer power, you mustn't jump into everything head-first. Think first. Negotiate. Everything is not lost just yet, you can still gain from it - that little act will solve everything.''

''I don't want to deceive them'' Luffy mutters, all too familiar obstinacy making room for itself. Where had he seen it before? Was it Garp maybe?

Garp. Monkey D. Garp. Previous Archduke of Goa. Father of Monkey D. Dragon. Luffy's grandfather. It all makes sense now.

A morbid picture of an old Luffy that shows a gruesome resemblance to Garp pops up in his head and he needs all of his willpower not to physically recoil, and that's when he forces his thoughts back before it could wander further into that direction.

He suppresses a sigh at the expressed stubbornness, reminding himself to be patient _and_ persistent.

''It's for their own good'' he whispers, pressing a kiss to the crown of Luffy's head and his hold on him tightens a bit to reassure him. The boy whines a little and nuzzles his nose into the crook of his neck. It tickles.

''I love you'' Law says, and while he really does love him it doesn't mean he can't use these feelings to achieve his goal and make Luffy see things in his way.

Luffy makes a noise of surprise and pushes himself away from Law's chest to look him properly in the face. ''Do you..?''

''I do'' he replies, sporting a soft, loving smile only Luffy has the privilege to see. It feels foreign on his face but in a way it feels like it belongs right there, when Luffy is with him, that is.

The boy's expression turns into one of absolute happiness, for a moment the lingering shadows of agony are gone, giving back his pure light. Law suddenly feels like he's looking directly into the sun, but that still doesn't explain the tingling feeling in his chest.

They kiss again, who closed the last inches between their lips unknown, and it's sweet and long, just the way it feels right. He looks deep into Luffy's dark eyes, happy to find his own feelings reciprocated there.

''Think about it'' he repeats himself from earlier, letting go of Luffy only to take his smaller hands into his, playing with his fingers.

Luffy takes a deep breath. ''Alright'' he says and pulls his hands out of Law's hold to place his right fist into his left palm. ''Let's do it.''

* * *

He sends a herald to Mariejois the same day and gives out the order to prepare the East wing's tower and to make it livable. It's been used as a storage room for the past few years, thus it's quite dusty and the air is confined but it's nothing that the opening of the windows and a thoroughly cleaning wouldn't solve, or so he thinks as he's never stood in the need of doing either of these.

It's about a week later that a carriage from Mariejois is reported from the frontier guards. As it seems they underestimated the North and got stuck in the snow - serves the fools' right, Law thinks with a sardonic snort.

It's very tempting to pretend not to have heard about them and gauge how capable they are of surviving and setting an example with their death, just to get the message through that the North isn't to be crossed ways with. He's aware though, that this is no time for petty power-plays; later on, he's sure an even better opportunity is to come.

He sends a few stronger men and the dogs to help them in case things really get out of control, albeit he's reluctant to jeopardize the lives of his own men for a few fools he can't stand anyway. It might not sound pretty, and first of all he would like to point out that he does care about his men and values life, but the dark, brooding thoughts disappear the same moments Luffy's weight appears on his lap, leaving only a comfortable, warm feeling.

They're seated on a velvet chair in his study, Luffy faces him and straddles Law's legs, his calves pressed flush against the armrest. ''Time to get into the act'' he says, rubbing circles into Luffy's hips with his thumbs.

''Don't wanna'' Luffy pouts. Under the adorable surface though, he's nervous, the restless jolting of his legs against Law's legs is a dead giveaway.

He cranes his neck so that their lips can meet and he kisses the boy to get him to calm down a bit. ''It'll be alright, you hear me?''

He doesn't look too convinced of that and Law rubs their noses together, at last earning a smile. Now that's something that fits together with his sunny personality, and over the course of the last few weeks it's become close to a scarcity, to see that honest, lively grin on his boyish face without any clouds tainting it.

Luffy lays his head on his shoulder and Law rubs his back, neither of them breaking the silence, only quietly enjoying the intimacy they won't get to have in the near future for a few minutes. He sighs as he realizes that they really don't have time for this, when the delegate could arrive at any given moment.

He nudges Luffy off of him and says ''Go now, Jean Bart and another guard must already be waiting for you upstairs''

* * *

To say that Luffy likes his new, temporary chamber would be a lie – the whole tower-room ordeal sounds a lot better than it is in reality. It's neat, clean and the air is fresh, the beige color that dominates the room shouldn't be depressing but Luffy finds it as such. It's really lonely there, and while he understands that it's kind of the point of detaining someone there, it doesn't make it any easier to bear. He isn't good with sitting in one place for long.

He drapes one fur duvet over his shoulder, absently stroking the soft fur where the end of it hangs off from his shoulder to his chest. Albeit he can't really tell what kind of animal it had been once, he knows Law well enough to claim that it's a good piece.

He's heard about the value fur possesses in this area – some rumors even said slaves are cheaper than quality fur, so he's going to appreciate that Law has given him three of them, not counting the three wool duvet.

First he thought that it was a little too much, that he overdid himself with the worrying - after all, the room seemed to have a bearable temperature at that point when he only spent a few minutes in there. Now though, he thinks that it's a pity that it's physically impossible to put all those duvets on him – he's _cold._ This part of the castle isn't connected to either of the chimneys and it had been thoroughly ventilated not too long ago, and the temperature is only a little above freezing point.

He's fine at the moment, being dressed up warmly and covered with thick duvets, but whenever he makes a movement and the material moves it's cold where the air hits him, even the covers feel unpleasant where they hadn't been warmed up. He would rather dip in a hotspring and that says a lot.

His suffering doesn't end here, sadly - he's still assigned to make an appearance at dinner, and that's when he meets the noble from the capital. He has a defined, square jaw with an X-shaped scar on top of it and he's called X-Drake if Luffy remembers correctly. His first reaction, or more like question is that if the man would be called Y-Drake if his scar was Y-shaped instead of X, but even he has enough manners not to blurt it out.

Though the stern look Law gives him when he giggles may have a part in that.

''Shut up'' Law mouths from next to the man he's making fun of at the moment, and it only makes him want to laugh more while the brown haired, bulky noble looks confused by his behavior, looking at Law to see if he's missed something.

Law just keeps a straight face and X-Drake coughs a bit, catching his attention and finally getting the seriousness of the situation across.

The few minutes they talk are enough to remind Luffy of why he hates meeting with fellow nobles, he's a straightforward person and all the fake niceties, dry jokes and polite chitchats frankly drive him insane. He isn't and has never been one to care about decorum and decencies though, much to his family's dismay.

Meals are normally things he looks forward to – he considers them the highlight of the day- but even they can lost their charms under all the responsibilities the ranks lay on him. Spoons and forks and knives – who has the time to use these? He's starving, he needs food and he needs that food now, and not only the utensils are overrated, they're just in the way.

Law's sitting at the head of the table as excepted and Luffy sits on the chair closest to him, probably being closer than they should have, though Law doesn't do anything that indicates that he should sit further from him. They probably feel the same way about that.

He can't help sneaking his right hand under the table and touching Law's calloused hand. Their fingers intertwine and they both allow one look at each other along with cheesy smile. A brief squeeze from Law is what it takes him to acknowledge that they can't stay like that the whole night, and that's when he pulls his hands back begrudgingly, getting back into character.

He's glad no one has noticed them, or so it seems. He thinks people would look at them weird if they were obvious, and everybody seems to mind their own business – food.

He is still unsure about what he does, this whole hostage-act, if it's a good idea to pull a stunt like that, but he trusts Law to know what he's doing and won't sweat over it. It'll work out in the end if Law says so.

* * *

He's escorted by his 'guards' when dinner's over, and he can feel eyes on him. It's not just a curious glance or an innocent check-out, it's a long, unnerving stare that bores holes into his nape. It would be for the best to ignore it, he knows that, but something inside him tells him not to do that, that he should turn around.

That little voice is an old friend of him, one that saved his ass on more than one occasion, so he listens to it and does turn around.

It isn't hard to spot the guard, given that he still hasn't turned away from him. There's something off about the man. While his face is mostly hidden under a helmet, Luffy notices small golden strands an all too familiar burn scar peeking out from underneath. His eyes widen as he stops in his track.

It's Sabo.

Their eyes stay locked and he takes a step forward, not believing his eyes, needing solid proof that it isn't just a trick his mind plays on him. Sabo shakes his head a bit, giving a warning look for him not to go any closer, and though his brain registers it – albeit barely – he doesn't care. He's seconds away from leaping into his direction, to touch, that see that he's real and that he isn't alone, that he still has Sabo with him.

A large, firm hand on his forearm that belongs to Jean Bart stops him from carrying out his plan. He looks at him, meeting with a worried gaze.

''This way, Your Grace'' he says, leading him away gently. He's not used to being called by his title here – Luffy is more than sufficient and he would prefer to be addressed as such. Still, at the moment, it isn't one of his main concerns.

Grudgingly, he complies, but he's unable to stop himself from looking back again. Sabo's still watching him.

''What was that?'' Jean Bart asks him when they're out of earshot.

He doesn't answer, his hands shake and his palms sweat even though the halls are cold, his voice lost and he scarcely hears him anyway over the buzzing in his ears. Sabo's here, what is he doing here, why is he wearing that uniform, where has he been all this time, why hasn't he contacted them, and thousand more question plays in his head, all waiting for answers.

''Your Grace''

He feels dread then. What if Sabo hates him now that he let down Ace, let him die. He wouldn't be dead if only he had left him alone, he would be still suffering in the jail but he would be alive and there would be hope for a happy ending. It's his fault, his alone and he would never be able to properly atone for the fact that he's responsible for his brother's death.

''Luffy'' he hears and looks at Jean Bart. It's uncharacteristic of him, to forget about the formalities, although it's a welcomed change. '' What's wrong?''

''I..'' he begins, his voice too weak to be above a whisper. ''I know…I know him..'', he forces out finally.

''Who?'' Jean Bart asks back, obviously confused. '' Who do you know?''

''He's there..Sabo..''

''Who's Sabo?'' the man presses, wondrously still able to maintain his patience.

''Sabo. My brother'' he replies, fully prepared for the loads of questions to come.

''Your brother? Are you sure?'' he asks with disbelief. ''Here? In Flevance?''

''That's what I'm telling you! He's the guard I was looking at! Sabo is here!'' he emphasizes the last word with a stomp to get his point across.

Jean Bart looks flabbergasted for a moment, but quickly composes himself. ''Law has know about this'' he speaks, guiding Luffy up with a hand on his upper back, silently urging him to go faster.


	4. Chapter 4

Luffy's actually a tad bit nervous to talk with Law about Sabo. He wonders if Law will hit him again, though he knows it's unlikely. Law's gentle, always gentle with him, and that one slap was well-earned on Luffy's part. He won't fuck things up this time.

Now Law's here too to make sure things go smooth; he's good at the planning stuff and he will know what to do so Luffy will stay low, however hard it will be. And he will find a way to get in contact with Sabo, and he's so happy because he missed his brother so much, so, so much and yet he's so scared of rejection, that Sabo will hate him for not being able to save Ace. He dreads that he will find resentment directed at him in Sabo's eyes.

Everything's so complicated now, he wishes time would turn back and the three of them would be still living in Goa when life was so simple. He isn't even sure if that's what he really wants, because that would mean losing Law, not even getting to know him. It wouldn't hurt maybe, not knowing him, but he wants Law by his side, or to stay by Law's side, he doesn't care, he just wants to be with him.

There's a knock on the door, and Jean Bart enters the room after he answers. He likes that the man doesn't look uncomfortable, he's like the immoveable rock, always confident and strong, trustworthy to rely on.

''The Duke wants to meet you at midnight, in the back garden'' he says, watching him intently.

''Okay..thanks'' he replies, not particularly paying much attention to him although he should – being so lost in thoughts doesn't do any good to him. He's going to get a fever in the near future if he continues thinking this much.

It's only nine o'clock and he doesn't have the slightest clue how he's going to survive the waiting for three more hours.

 

* * *

 

 

The past few hours had really been nerve-racking, he sat on one corner of the bed then laid face-first on the other, sat on the window-sill and when he couldn't bear the cold that streamed in he went to suffer on a sofa, staring at his aimlessly kicking legs that he brought up to the air.

He's back to staring out of the window, when a silhouette wades through the snow. He assumes that it's Law, as no one in their right mind would stride across the garden in winter-time in the middle of the night without a good reason.

He suddenly realizes that Law's already at the place of rendezvous and he has yet to even dress up. Simultaneously, there's a knock on his door and Jean Bart's gruff voice, asking if he's ready.

''A moment'' he yells as he jumps down from the sill, discarding the duvet that has been keeping him warm for a coat, pulling the boots up as quickly as he can. He already knows that he's going to be cold, but there isn't much he can do about that. He's never really _not_ cold when he's outside anyway.

That though, isn't the reason why he doesn't want to go. Surely, seeing Law is something he always looks forward to, that's why he doesn't understand it. The crippling fear that slowly burns him up is foreign to him, and he can't fight it even though he's aware that it's irrational.

What is he so afraid of anyway? He didn't do anything. As far as he knows, Sabo didn't either. His brother didn't act hostile towards him. There's nothing to worry about, right?

If only he could convince that annoying, uptight voice that urges him to flee while he can. It augurs ill.

Though he isn't sure what the weird feeling is that has every single hair on him stand, he is sure of one thing: something is going to happen. Something big. If it's positive or not, he guesses only time will tell.

* * *

He paces uneasily, completely aware that from the castle he must exactly look like a lunatic in the middle of performing a black magic ritual, though the amount of fucks he gives is well below the temperature that is pretty low in itself.

Snow sticks to the toes of his boots, he absently notes, not really caring even if they were to soak. He has a tendency to show up a few minutes sooner than he should, but the trails of footprints he left in the fresh snow tells him that those few minutes have already run out and Luffy's still absent. It's a wonder how he still finds it in himself to care - that brat is habitually late.

Standing there, alone in the middle of the night, he's getting nervous. He has a foreboding feeling in his gut, swirling in him along with a hint of fear, creating a disgusting essence of dread. He wishes Luffy would be here soon, or even better, would be here already. His presence would be really appreciated now, though he wouldn't say this aloud in this context for the world.

He turns on his heels to walk in the opposite direction, and stops when he catches a glimpse of something from his peripherals. And it's no good. He can't be sure if he has seen it right - it has been way too fast for him to claim that, but it's been enough for him to raise his guard.

It has been as if there had been someone behind the snow-covered hedge.

Heartbeat quickening, fingers instinctively reaching for Kikoku, he contemplates what should he do. He curses as his hands touch nothing but air - his sword isn't with him. He didn't think he would need it when he left his chambers.

He takes a deep breath, willing himself to stay level-headed. Maybe there's nothing at all and he's just becoming paranoid, although his previous encounters with Death tells him otherwise. If something is fishy, there's something wrong, the experiences say.

He can sense bloodlust from miles. He feels like he' being watched from the rooftops, from behind him, from everywhere. That's just the paranoia talking, but where's the thin border of reasonable and unreasonable, rational and irrational in this chase?

He tries to only focus on his hearing, though he doesn't dare to close his eyes. Isn't foolish enough to do that. He can't hear anything but the howling wind, no crunching of snow, no voices, just the wind taunting him. He scowls, realizing that pulling his shit together is essential now – with or without his sword, he will manage.

Luffy will be there in few minutes anyway, in the worst case he will lend him a hand. He thinks Luffy's stronger than him in hand-to-hand combat, more skilled and practiced. He wants to slap himself for that last thought, for relying on someone so naturally and carelessly, for it ever entering his mind to put his lover in danger selfishly.

With newfound determination, he walks over and gets around the hedge to see if his eyes tricked him.

There's no one.

There's though, the feeling of somebody being behind him, watching him – it has the hair on his neck standing from the feeling, and this time, it's real. He turns around to find a woman standing a few feet away from him, and he wonders just how it is possible that he let her so close. He should have noticed her sooner.

She's tall, lean, with short, light hair that might be somewhere between red and blond, she's smiling and she has a knife in her hand.

* * *

Luffy skips every second step or so, rushing down the stairs, though he doesn't have an answer to the question why. He just feels like he needs to, knows he needs to. It isn't even about being late – well, not from the date. Law likely wouldn't be surprised at that. He's afraid that he'll be late from something more important.

His name is being called from behind, but he ignores it in favor of turning on a flight. He should be a flight ahead of Jean Bart, he thinks. He's reached the base of stairs and is now standing in a long corridor where various portrays of the Trafalgar family's dead ancestors stare at him.

He's uncomfortable with being there even at daylight, he always tries to avoid it and when he has no other choice than going this way, he never looks at them, even if they're basically his in-laws. He passes them without sparing a glance as always, ending up at the hallway that connects the main kitchen, the overly fancy ball-room and the great hall where their meals are normally served

(Except for when Law decides to spoil themselves and have some maid bring breakfast to the bed. Luffy sadly accepts that not many human has the supernatural powers to keep up with Luffy's appetite – running up and down the stairs to bring enough food for Luffy proved to be rather exhausting for the poor servants. Law said they might try this once again, but only in the distant future)

He is about to rush past the great hall when there's a rough thug on his coat, a cloth over his mouth and he's pressed against a rather hard chest. His cries of protests are muffled, attempts of breaking free ineffective – he kicks and touches nothing but the thin air, struggles to no avail, tries to bite off the fingers that cover his mouth only to feel the cloth in his mouth.

He's dragged inside the room, further from the opening so that they won't be seen when his company catches up to him. He slides down as he's shoved against the wall, ready to bolt up at any given moment, keeping his eyes on his attacker.

His uniform has the crest of X-Drake.

Before he could spring to his feet, he feels weight on his outstretched legs as the unknown man straddles him. He's so shocked that he actually forgets to put on a fight, and he only realizes it later on that he should have just headbutt the man in the crotch when he was crouching down.

He's even more shocked to see the man reaching for his helmet and sliding it off of his head, revealing a mane of gold hair and amused dark eyes with the left having the skin marred with an old burn scar around it.

''Sabo!'' he exclaims, albeit he knows he should be quiet, but he's too astonished for that. It doesn't help his quick pulse either, though now it's not from fear or adrenaline, it's from joy. He's close to tears because he's so glad to finally talk to Sabo. He's been waiting for this.

''Hey'' his brothers smiles, wide and happy, opening his arms for a hug, wordlessly telling Luffy to go on. He doesn't need to be told twice as he dives into the embrace instantly, basking in the warmth as Sabo wraps his arms around him.

'' What are you doing here?'' Luffy asks, voice raspy, but he's still holding his tears back.

'' I came for you, idiot'' Sabo chides, gently hitting him over the head. '' You didn't think I would just leave you there, did you? That louse already took one brother from me and is now threatening the other, but Koala will take care of him. I would have preferred doing it myself, but-''

''Take care of who?'' Luffy inquires warily, pulling away in suspicion. Realization begins to dawn on him and it brings fear with it. He can only hope he's wrong.

''That louse Trafalgar, of course'' he nearly snarls and Luffy swears his heart stopped beating for a moment as the weight of his words sinks in. This can't be true.

''No..no..nonono..You're kidding right?'' he looks at Sabo, pleading for it not to be true, for it to be the worst joke he's ever heard. He doesn't know how to deal with his own family trying to kill his lover. He doesn't think anyone else could.

His brother looks more confused than anything, frowning. ''Luffy?''

''Don't hurt him. Please'' he asks, desperate and scared of losing another important person. By the hands of his own family nonetheless.

''Luffy, do you even-''

''He didn't kill Ace. If you want to blame someone, blame me.''

'Blame you? What are you-''

''I was freeing him and he was shot. I was right there and didn't- couldn't do anything. It's not Law's fault. And it was my decision to come here, so please-''

''Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You're not a hostage. Then what is this?'' he asks, motioning with his hands around them, not meaning the room they're in but the whole situation.

''It's just an act! He didn't do anything bad! Please, Sabo…''

The blond man frowns deeply, not convinced, looking a little concerned about Luffy. He probably thinks I went mad, Luffy thinks. The raven clenches his fists and looks Sabo dead into the eyes.

''I really don't want to do it, but I'll fight you on this one if I have to'' Luffy says, challenging his own brother, preparing for an actual brawl. He never won against either of his brothers when they sparred years back, but he's become stronger and he isn't going to back down, not when Law's life on the line.

Sabo's face darkens dangerously. ''What's the exact nature of your relationship with him?'' he asks, tone grave. It sends chills up on Luffy's spine – he never thought his brother would use that tone when talking to him. He must be thoroughly pissed now.

It's bad, because he isn't like Ace when he's mad – Ace solves things with his fists when he goes into a fit of rage, but Sabo isn't that thoughtless. He thinks about how to cause the most pain, though Luffy doubts he would ever direct his rage at his family.

''I love him'' he chooses to say, clearly and loudly, holding his stare, daring Sabo to say anything about that. Maybe that isn't one of his best ideas, he realizes as the blond man's face shifts from shocked to even more pissed.

Still, he doesn't back down. It's Sabo who breaks the eye contact in the end. '' You have one hell of an explanation to give, but that can wait. Hurry up and let's hope we are not late just yet''

* * *

He learns that Koala is Sabo's betrothed, and that they met in the capitals. He also warns Luffy that she might look harmless, but she's badass and should not, under any circumstances, be underestimated. Such a nice way to meet his future sister-in-law, to have her trying to kill Law, Luffy thinks in a moment of uncharacteristic cynicism.

They arrive to find a pissed off Law, a woman being held down by Jean Bart, and a guard that doesn't know what to do with himself. He would probably be anywhere else than there at the moment rather than listening to the unfolding family drama. He has Luffy's sympathy, even if the man is lucky enough not to have his family and lover at each other's throat.

''You'll hang for this'' Law snarls, '' Be glad if I don't give you to the prisoners first to rip you apart''

Sabo instantly goes into a fit of rage after hearing that. ''You wouldn't dare- Let go of her, dammit!'' he yells, a vein popping out on his neck.

'' And who you might be?'' Law asks, ignoring the woman's relieved cry of Sabo's name, his tone is full of fake nicety. It's like venom, and Luffy thinks it's disgusting. Such a beautiful voice that Law has isn't meant to be tainted like that.

He thinks the time is as good as any to introduce Sabo to Law. Too bad it's not that simple – it isn't possible to get over this whole farce with just a few words. ''He's Sabo, my brother''

Law's expression shifts, from angry to calculating. Luffy can't say that he particularly likes when the Duke gets cunning, but there's nothing he could do about that – it's a part of Law. Comes with him as an unrequested extra, one that he would rather not have but had been blessed with unfortunately.

''Who is the woman?'' Law asks and Luffy makes his way towards him, only touching his elbow to be subtle about their relationship. He just needs to see that Law's okay and he didn't suffer any injury.

''She's his betrothed, Koala'' Luffy replies, not missing the way the back of their hands brushed together. He doesn't have any doubt that Law did it deliberately.

The older man looks like he's about to asks something, opening his lips for a question, decides not to vocalize it in the end. ''I would rather take this conversation somewhere else, where we preferably don't wake the whole castle'' he says finally.

* * *

They gather in the tower that was given to Luffy as his temporary room, given that it's the furthest from the chambers the _invaders_ are quartered in. Law isn't keen on people who come uninvited and announce their staying without leaving any room to refuse them.

It's a long procedure, to tell Sabo everything, from how Luffy ended up in Flevance, how he found out about Ace at a venture, that he couldn't just leave his brother there and needed to do something, how Ace just _died_ of all sudden, that his brother was right next to him and then he was _gone_ , and that it's just a blur what happened after that.

Law doesn't comment on the fact that Luffy forgot to mention their relationship, only because he doesn't think it was on purpose. They have important things in mind, and who Luffy's courting at the moment is a completely different caliber from those. If it was deliberate, however, in that case it was for naught – surely, both the blond man and the woman next to him noticed their intertwined fingers.

He's surprised at the lack of tears shed – it would be, maybe, less heart-breaking if they didn't talk about the death of Portgas with stoic faces. He guesses the brothers' mourning runs deeper than that. He feels bad that all he can do is squeeze Luffy's hand whenever his voice wavers, offering what little comfort he can provide him. Luffy cuddles to him, never letting go of his tattooed hand, and he can't find it in himself to reject his open affection at the moment.

Still, he feels a bit awkward, not used to have an audience for his love-life.

Being outed brings them to a new topic, how did they come to be together. How indeed. '' It just…happened'' Law explains, lamely, loss at words. How did it really happen? No sparks of love ignited, there was just an instinctive desire to be close, he just found himself wanting to get to know that little idiot more, and he accidentally summoned upon himself more trouble than he bargained for.

Luffy's still a bit disoriented as the story-telling brought up memories he'd rather forget, so Law takes it on him to tell Sabo their little fairy-tale. That physical closeness always just felt natural, that in spite of their differences there's some short of connection, a higher understanding between them. Says that he doesn't feel butterflies or any kind of shit like that, only warmth and contentment. He doesn't say big words like 'love', feeling like it would make his little confession cliché, but the word lingers in the air, unsaid.

He feels Sabo's gaze on him all the while, or perhaps glare would describe that look better. Initially, at least, but the more he talks and Luffy chimes in the more heat his glare loses, until all that remains is a brooding look. The blond man is probably pondering about what to do with this relationship now, after all, he does not want to separate them as it would mean hurting his beloved little brother. He shouldn't have to worry, Law's handling the situation rather well.

Love leads to yet another topic, namely to Sabo's and Koala's relationship. Law inwardly praises himself for the clever diversion – he would rather keep his personal matters _private_. It's not anyone's business, only his and Luffy's anyway.

It's a lighter subject, easier to talk about. Apparently, two years ago when the brothers parted, Ace went to gather allies for the upcoming rebellion and Sabo went to the capitals to spy and grope information. Koala happened to be some short of benefactress of the poor at that time, having been a former slave freed by Fisher Tiger who had been the holder of that title before his unexpected death.

Law's heard about him too, he was purposely nettling the nobility, such as robbing them. Other than freeing slaves he didn't actually help people per see, but he was seen as a hero among the commoners for his bravery.

Koala took his place after he passed, becoming the leader of the 'merry men'. After one robbery, Sabo managed to follow them, of course just to congratulate them, and he nearly got killed because of his uniform. Once he was safe he invited Koala to join their case and bring down the nobility that had made her childhood a living hell, and she didn't need much convincing to join so. And things just escalated into the right direction from there.

Now, that they left the past behind, they can get to the present. Law has to go into a deep explanation of their little hostage-act, and has to deal with yet another stubborn brother. Talking with the blond man leaves the Duke questioning if Sabo and Luffy are really not related – they're too similar for their own good. But stubbornness be damned, he already managed to deal with one of them – and he's pretty sure Luffy's the less reasonable of the two- so he's confident in his own capability to get Sabo on their side.

Once that's done he's sure that the two men will be enough to get Dragon to follow Law's plan.

* * *

''Are you..sure about this? Staying in Flevance? With him?'' Sabo asks, though Luffy thinks that it's more out of habit than anything. His brother is aware that he has already made his mind up and after that, there's no use trying to change it. He always gets what he wants, in one way or another.

''Absolutely'' he grins, the thought of living the rest of his life with Law making him euphoric. He moves to hug Sabo, making sure to give him a hard squeeze, just for the brotherly love to last him a bit longer. A few broken ribs from the brotherly love would make a nice memento, he thinks.

''You know you can count on us if anything happens, right?'' the blond mumbles into his ear, tightening his grip on Luffy. He appreciates it, really, all the concern, but he worries too much about their relationship.

''Yeah, yeah'' he replies, dismissing it completely. After everything he and Law has been through in the past few months, he's convinced that they will manage in the future. Come what may, because what they have is stronger than ever before and no obstacle can break it.

''It's hard to believe that of all places you could have chosen, you found happiness there, in the land of snow and sorrow'' Sabo says, not actually seriously and without any edge, but more like wondering. He's about to protest, that Flevance isn't all that bad – although the weather is even worse than one could imagine- when his brother cuts him off. '' But honestly? With you, I don't even know why I am surprised.''

He giggles and sports another grin, knowing that it was Sabo's way to express his approval. He wouldn't have left Law for anything, so that approval shouldn't really matter, but it does. It fills him with satisfaction, and everything feels just better with it. He's been in mildly good mood anyway, and his brother just lifted it a few feet higher.

'' It's really not that bad'' he palliates, and in a moment of uncharacteristic creativeness the poet hidden deep, deep inside of him comes to the surface. A better title comes to his mind and he contemplates if he should say it out aloud, but the words fall from his lips before the thought process is finished. ''It's more like…a garden of winter''

He tries how that rolls on his tongue, and he likes it. Much better than that previous, depressing epithet.

His brother's eyebrows shot up high, with some exaggeration they nearly get lost in his blond locks. '' Now I am concerned'' he says, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up and his eyes gleaming with glee.

Luffy pouts, claiming that it is a good title, and Sabo retorts that this is the exact reason for his concern, earning a not too affectionate name-call from Luffy. Before the brothers could start a sparring session for everyone to see, Law and X-Drake step out of the castle, and if the expression on Law's face anything to go by, the Duke really wants the fellow noble out of there.

He has to stifle a round of laughter at that. Their farewell has to be cut short with X-Drake's interruption, but it doesn't matter– they've already said all the important stuff, at least everything Luffy can think of.

Well, there's one thing that was forgotten, but Sabo sure as hell doesn't forget to remind him that if he doesn't hear from Luffy for a few months, he will assume that there's trouble in the paradise and might make an uninvited appearance that nobody would be keen on.

He also adds that he wants to hear from Luffy through letters and not from scandals he might cause in the future, and the younger man almost feels insulted, until he notices that Sabo's just teasing like the jerk he is.

Koala looks a bit crestfallen that she couldn't properly bid her farewell, that she didn't even get to hug Luffy even though she already did in the morning, when she realized that they won't be seeing each other for god knows how long. She waves back with the same enthusiasm as he does, completely over her momentary sulking by the time they're about to set off.

It's only when the carriage pulls out of the gates when he feels Law's presence next to him, and he reflexly takes one tattooed hand into his and laces their fingers together, swinging their joined appendages happily while they make their way back to the castle.

Law suddenly lets out a relieved sigh, likely at the moment his brain actually registered that the _invaders_ –as Law fondly called them few days ago, much to Luffy's mirth- left, and younger man couldn't keep the amusement off his face even if he wanted to. '' You hate them that much?''

''I wouldn't say I hate them, but I'd rather keep them at one or two countries distance.'' he replies, frowning a bit.

''Well then, it's just us now. Are you happy?'' he asks

''You could say that'' the Duke says, taking the inquiry more seriously than Luffy meant it. He flushes a bit, feeling warm and content as it sinks in. It may not be a completely off-guard answer, but it's as good as he'll ever get Law to say, so he will settle with it. The small kiss they share might have a part in that, if not, then the rare, honest smile Law gifts him to add weight to his words with surely do, and he blames his heavily beating heart trapped in his chest on that too.

* * *

Negotiations do begin with Sabo helping to convince Dragon, but frankly, that's all Luffy knows. He leaves the politics to people who know what they're doing – namely to Law, his father and the government dogs. (Law only concedes to leaving Luffy out after the younger man tried to get him to write his best regards to Dragon in a formal letter.)

Come to think of it, Law's like a midwife in the whole contract – he probably shouldn't say this to the Duke's face, he muses as a smile creeps on his face-, setting the conditions much to the Celestials' anger. The North got cocky, they said once, and only after Law pledged loyalty to the Empire –Luffy didn't let himself to be touched by Law in any way that night after that, even if he knew that it was really childish on his part and that the man did it purely out of necessity – was the contract born.

It's an accomplishment, that's what he tells himself as he reads the scroll with disgust. He glares at the ink like that would do any good for a few moments before his face relaxes, a sigh slipping from his lips. It reads that if the rebels put the weapons down voluntarily there shall be no victimization, the participants all receive amnesty, and nobles can even keep their lands.

It's not bad per see, with how bloody sanctions the Celestial's normally take, but they have barely gotten anywhere. The changes in taxes done in the last one and half year were revoked, to the point that East isn't suffocating, just feels grip of hands around the neck. That's all. They aren't free and hardly any progress was made, and it's only matter of time until everything goes back as things were before the whole war.

Law tells him to wait. He's been told that for his whole life, to wait, but wait for what? Who would change the world for them, if they don't take control in their own hands? Why do people keep repeating these coward words? Why isn't anyone acting?

His spirit dies down as he remembers that his father tried it. Tried the impossible and failed, the failure costing the deaths of thousands. What they gained is scarcely more than nothing, but it's viewed as a miracle that they didn't lose what little they have had in the first place.

Law, of course, notices his distress, he would have to be blind not to with how obvious Luffy's being. The shorter man doesn't notice when his lover has gotten up from his seat, only becomes aware of his presence when he feels his strong arm around his waist from behind, with the Duke's scruffy chin pressing against the crook of Luffy's neck.

He can't help but squirm a bit; he won't ever get used to that damned, _ticklish_ facial hair, even though he likes it on Law.

''Torao, your goatee tickles'' he mumbles, feeling a smile tugging at his lips as Law lets out a tiny, but resigned sigh. If the older man's chest weren't pressed against him from behind, he wouldn't even felt it. He can picture the eye-roll that Law surely gave him, he always does that when people get his name wrong. If he didn't know any better, he would think that his lover actually minds it with all the fuss he does over it.

'' What's on your mind?'' Law asks.

Luffy waves the scroll a bit, scowling at it one last time before he tosses it on the table, without any respect towards the formal papers. ''I thought we talked about that'' Law chides and it's Luffy's turn to roll his eyes.

''I hate them. I hate this all'' he says bitterly.

Law soothes him. ''I know, I know. But you have to understand that-''

Luffy finishes it for him, with an additional distorted tone just to mock Law. '' This was the only way, I know, I've heard it like fifty times''

''Oi.'' Law warns, and Luffy's surprised that he hasn't bonked him on the head. ''Don't make fun of me''

'' Alright, alright'' he says with a dismissive wave of his hands. They stay quiet after that, somewhere along the way Luffy's hand slid down on the top of Law's and his fingers between Law's fingers. Luffy has calmed down, for the most part, and upon noticing that, Law decides to break the comfortable silence.

'' A penny for your thoughts on holy matrimony?'' he asks all of sudden, nibbling on Luffy's earlobe. A shudder runs down on his spine, but he doesn't let that to deter him.

'' I would marry Torao. I _want_ to marry Torao'' he replies easily, twisting his head into an almost unhealthy angle just to see Law's reaction. His lover smiles, but Luffy swears that there's a tint of pink on his face, though he's aware that should he ever mention it, Law would blame the slight color on the rays of the setting sun. It would be in vain, because it's orange and not pink, but the younger man isn't about to get into an argument about sunsets.

''Unfortunately, that's not possible'' Law says, then lowers his voice into a whisper. '' But there's something very similar to it…''

'' What is it?'' Luffy asks eagerly, his leg jostling in excitement as he turns around in Law's hold, searching for his lover's face. He scrutinizes him, looking for signs that he's just joking. Law looks earnest and that has Luffy's heart beating fast against his ribcage.

'' It's called affrèrement'' he explains, and seeing Luffy's scrunched up expression as he tries to parrot it, he just chuckles and translates. '' I believe it would be translated something like 'brotherment'. Un pain, un vin, et une bourse – one bread, one vine, and one purse. Are you grasping it yet?"

One look at Luffy's blank face is what it takes him to get his answer. '' It's a contract between two of the same sex that legally allows to live together and share property – basically, just like a marriage, though no lust or any form of physicality is necessary.''

''So we're going to marry?'' Luffy asks, too excited to actually listen to Law.

''No, formally, we're going to be spiritual brothers'' his lover corrects and Luffy pouts.

''You're not my brother''

Law rolls his eyes, seemingly trying to remain calm. ''Obviously. That's just a formality. Technically, we are going to live like a married couple and nobody will suspect anything''

''Then we're marrying'' Luffy concludes with a nod, and he might have said something he shouldn't have because Law doesn't look happy.

''Yes, we are marrying, but don't boast with it. Now will you let me finish it?''

'' Yup.''

'' This contract is beneficial for tactical reasons as well. My lands will be yours too and your share of Dragon's lands will be mine. I presume you're the only heir?''

Luffy sucks on his lips, deep in thought. He honestly never cared enough to ask, but there's been something… Sabo isn't related to them in any way, and so he can't be included in Dragon's will. The only way his father was able to think up is gifting him lands, but it still means that with Ace's death, Luffy's the only heir.

'' That means that the lands are yours, and therefore mine too. As long as I keep what's written in the contract, the empire's army has no right to set a foot on my lands''

His heartbeat quickens, warmth pools in his stomach as hope fills him. ''Does that mean that…?''

''We might be able to rout them out, yes'' Law reassures, '' but only from your properties. They'd still remain on the rest of the area. You'd have to take lands from the other lords for this to works – and trust me, they would not be delighted to help.''

'' Zoro would help – he's a Count and my friend! Also, Usopp could easily convince Kaya – a Marquess – to help too!''

'' That sounds wonderful, but don't get too carried away just yet – it hasn't been documented if people of our ranks have ever gone through this ritual. Theoretically, it would work but technically, it is unheard of.''

'' Are you going to back down now?'' Luffy asks, puffing his cheeks up to show his distaste.

His lover hurries to reassure him. ''No, no, not by any chance'' he says, pressing a kiss to the corner of Luffy's mouth. ''I just don't want you to be disappointed, but I wanted to ask your opinion on the matter before I start planning anything – lands are a sensitive subject, for most nobles. There are also other factors to take into account, such as-''

''I don't care.'' Luffy scowls, cupping Law's face. '' Will you do it?''

''I told you that-'' Law objects but Luffy's having none of that.

'' Will you?''

His lover casts him a nasty look, but his expression morphs into one of amusement mixed resignation. ''I will.''

Luffy grins, tiptoeing himself to meet Law's lips with his own. Maybe things will turn out fine in the end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo this was it. Thank you for reading if you got this far, I hope you found it enjoyable :)


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